For people who work with children for a living, a criminal background check can be a big deal. Those who are constantly working with young ones should be above reproach in regards to the law so that parents can feel confident that your children are not at risk to any preventable harm. In Atlanta, state officials are recognizing that it may be time to revamp the laws in Georgia to better protect children who spend their days in daycare.
The state started looking at the possibility of new laws after a woman brought the issue to the government. Her two-month-old son was killed in a day care on his second day. While his death was originally ruled to be Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS,) the investigators later determined that his death was undetermined. While no one was ever charged with the murder of the child, the day care was shut down several months later for violations. After this terrible occurrence, the government officials developed a bill which would make it mandatory for all child care workers to pass a national finger print check.
Under the current laws in Georgia, only directors of day cares are required to pass background checks. Currently, 26 states require that all day care workers undergo a national background check which will search their criminal history in all 50 states. Currently the state does name-only and state of Georgia-only background checks.
All surrounding states near Georgia have the national background check in place. If you have recently been charged with a crime and are currently working at or applying for a job with a daycare or another child-related profession, then your charge may jeopardize your career. You should contact an Atlanta criminal defense attorney at The Law Offices of Howard J. Weintraub as soon as possible. With the right criminal defense lawyer on your side, you may be able to dispel false accusations and preserve your ability to work in the daycare industry.