Subject:
Title
Staff Direction: Background Investigation Screenings for Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Partners, Recreation Instructors and Volunteers
End
Fiscal Impact:
Approximately $70,000 annually
Dept/Office:
Parks and Recreation
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Board of County Commissioners provide direction to staff regarding Background Investigation Screenings for Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Partners, Recreation Instructors and Volunteers
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Summary Explanation and Background:
Background Screening Criteria
The Parks and Recreation Department currently uses Administrative Order-05 (Background Investigation Checks) to background investigation Screen Recreation Partners, Recreation Instructors, and Volunteers. Consistent with AO-05, any person volunteering with At-Risk Population - children, elderly, disabled, and those whom cannot defend themselves, must successfully pass a High-Level Background Investigation Screening. High-Level background screening includes volunteer fingerprints submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the National FBI for a criminal background check, and a background investigation sent to the Brevard Electronic Court Application.
Commissioners requested that staff explore what options exist regarding background investigation screenings for Parks and Recreation volunteers. Staff is providing the following Options for Board consideration:
Option I: Continue to use AO-05 as the basis of determining whether a Recreation Partner, Recreation Instructor or Volunteer successfully passes the Background Investigation Screening.
Option II: Create a new Procedure specifically for the Parks and Recreation Department. The new Background Investigation Screenings procedure could contain:
(a) more stringent criteria than in the current AO-05; or
(b) more lenient/flexible criteria than in the current AO-05
Option III: The Recreation Partner, Recreation Instructor, or Volunteer be responsible for obtaining a High-Level Background Investigation Screening from a national, state, or local recognized and approved agency, as determined by the County. Eligibility would be determined by the League, Instructor, or Volunteer utilizing current Florida State Statutes. The Brevard County Parks & Recreation Department Affidavit of No Prior Convictions, Exhibit A, would be signed by all volunteers with a copy of all Background Investigation Screening results being submitted to Parks and Recreation department staff.
Background Screening Costs
Since January 2017, the Parks and Recreation Department has required and paid for all of the Recreation Partner, Recreation Instructor and Volunteer Background Investigation Screenings. The following options are presented for consideration.
Option A: The Parks and Recreation Department continue to pay for all of the Recreation Partner, Recreation Instructor, and Volunteer Background Investigation Screenings.
Option B: The Parks and Recreation Department pay for one-half of the cost of the Recreation Partner, Recreation Instructor, or Volunteer Background Investigation Screenings for a period of 2 years, through July 2023. Beginning August 2023, the cost of the Background Investigation Screenings would be paid in full by the Recreation Partner, Recreation Instructor, or Volunteer.
Option C: Effective January 1, 2022, the cost of the Background Investigation Screenings would be paid in full by the Recreation Partner, Recreation Instructor, or Volunteer.
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
Provide Mary Ellen Donner, at Maryellen.donner@brevardfl.gov <mailto:Maryellen.donner@brevardfl.gov>, the Clerk to the Board memo with the Board of County Commissioners direction