Tuesday, May 01, 2007

MSU, Sex Offenders & MOHELA

Missouri State University is considering expanding its criminal background check policy to cover all new employees. While the plan has been in the pipeline for months, it's gained new urgency after the resignation of an assistant professor, who is also a convicted sex offender.

Watch my KY3 News @ 10 report HERE.

Some states have moved forward with legislation to mandate criminal background checks of employees at institutes of higher education. There's no such push in Missouri. Should there be?

Faculty at Missouri State aren't happy about this proposal, which could be approved by the school's Board of Governors by month's end.

So why this change now? The University makes clear that this has been under consideration since last summer. But Tony Messenger over at the News-Leader raises an interesting question about motivation of the school to dump a sex offender it knew about for years.

"Remember, the horrible MOHELA bill that the legislature is about to pass makes university funding contingent upon not employing sex offenders. Again, good math by Nietzel and Co., but is one move connected to the other,?" writes Messenger.



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