State and Government checks

[terryl965]

I was talking to a congress person today and she said they are looking into all Martial Art Instructor that open a school or teachers to make it mandatory for a background check since they work with childern, like all daycare and teachers or YMCA coaches and such to make sure they are no child molester out there to the childern what do all of you think about this proposal?
Terry

 

[Flying Crane]

Well for starters, not every martial arts teacher teaches children.

For another thing, what about all the "backyard dojos" and other informal arrangements? Money may or may not change hands, and it may or may not be reported in tax returns. How do they think they are going to regulate those?

 

[OUMoose]

Well for starters, not every martial arts teacher teaches children.

For another thing, what about all the "backyard dojos" and other informal arrangements? Money may or may not change hands, and it may or may not be reported in tax returns. How do they think they are going to regulate those?

Ever go fishing? Have you ever caught ALL the fish?

I don't think it's a bad idea so far as the instructor isn't made to pay for it, or it's a reasonable fee (like $10). It isn't a matter of regulation, but moreso of precaution.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

Bad Idea in my opinion. It's an "in" to start regulating more. And once the government gets it's hands in something, they are up to their armpits eventually.

Jeff

 

[Flying Crane]

Ever go fishing? Have you ever caught ALL the fish?

I don't think it's a bad idea so far as the instructor isn't made to pay for it, or it's a reasonable fee (like $10). It isn't a matter of regulation, but moreso of precaution.

Well I would hate to think that I might be in danger of getting a fine if I was working out with some friends in the park, and I was the "teacher" of the little group. Some overzealous cop wants to give me a ticket for not getting a background check.

I'd also hate to think that I couldn't teach my brother's son, for example, for the same reasons.

Personally, I think the govt. has no business regulating martial arts instruction. While this particular regulation seems to have honorable motives, i wouldn't be surprised if it was just the beginning of a snowball effect that would eventually have all aspects of martial arts instruction under government regulation and that would be the worst thing to happen to the arts. I also believe that it would be just another excuse for the govt. to pry into our private lives and abuse the information that they find. I'm surprised they haven't suggested it could be a tool to use in the fight against terrorism. That over-used excuse seems to work for just about everything else...

 

[matt.m]

I agree that it is the govt. "in". Bad idea, hey really if they are going to do it to MA instructors then they should do it for Priests, Preachers and the like as well.

Just an opinion.

 

[Kacey]

Like so many other things, the people who would register without qualm would not be the people the law is designed to catch; the molestors would not register - and would be more likely to be teaching in non-traditional facilities to avoid detection anyway. It would be just another way that the non-offenders would pay for the offenders, and I don't think that that is appropriate. I would fight such a measure.

 

[tradrockrat]

As rabid as I am on the subject of child molesters etc. this idea is just plain bad. As Kacey said, it really wouldn't stop anything.

 

[Touch Of Death]

What kinda freak Karate instructor doesn't run a check on his own employees?

 

[donna]

Here in Western Australia it is already Law. Any person that has anything to do with children, from coaches, teachers, childcare workers, MA instructors, to the Crosswalk lollypop person , has to have a background check and certificate from the police department.

 

[IcemanSK]

I'm not in favor of the government doing it. But I'm glad my organization did a background check on me when I chatrered my school thru them. I think its something organizationsfederations should do more often.

 

[MJS]

IMO, I really don't see it working. I mean, think about all of the background checks that are already done on a daily basis. And then look at how many people, who supposedly pass these test, but still turn out to be bad apples.

Mike

 

[Xue Sheng]

Most background checks for the typical job are not legally allowed access to criminal records and if they do find out something and refuse to hire someone based on that information they can get into trouble. This is a federal law by the way.

There are positions where you are allowed access to that information, but I doubt that martial arts teacher is one of them.

 

[terryl965]

What I understand the Martial Art community approached this lady senator and ask for her help. They thought all the press that MA was getting was when a teacher does something wrong in in alot of those cases they all ready had a record. I'm not saying I'm for it or against it right now, but if it can help parents protect there childern than I'm for it.

The Martial Art community as a whole need to take a stand against bad people let alone instructors that have these types of records. I'm not talking about someone that took a car on a joy ride but the one's that have a crimanal record that can cause some type of trouble for the school.

I believe it was Touch of Death that said most school owners run a check anyway. I know I do.

Terry

 

[SFC JeffJ]

What I understand the Martial Art community approached this lady senator and ask for her help. They thought all the press that MA was getting was when a teacher does something wrong in in alot of those cases they all ready had a record. I'm not saying I'm for it or against it right now, but if it can help parents protect there childern than I'm for it.

The Martial Art community as a whole need to take a stand against bad people let alone instructors that have these types of records. I'm not talking about someone that took a car on a joy ride but the one's that have a crimanal record that can cause some type of trouble for the school.

I believe it was Touch of Death that said most school owners run a check anyway. I know I do.

Terry

I agree with you Terry, the MA community should do something. However, Lets keep the government out of it.

Maybe schools in a city should get together and do something. Yet another law on the books isn't the answer though. That'll just make more red tape for most instructors to go through, and not really be effective in stopping the bad ones.

Another thing, I'd suggest any parent cross reference instructors against the sex crime offender sites a lot of states have.

Jeff

 

[terryl965]

I agree with you Terry, the MA community should do something. However, Lets keep the government out of it.

Maybe schools in a city should get together and do something. Yet another law on the books isn't the answer though. That'll just make more red tape for most instructors to go through, and not really be effective in stopping the bad ones.

Another thing, I'd suggest any parent cross reference instructors against the sex crime offender sites a lot of states have.

Jeff

Very well said Jeff and all people should do a cross reference check about everybody.
Terry

 

[IcemanSK]

What I understand the Martial Art community approached this lady senator and ask for her help. They thought all the press that MA was getting was when a teacher does something wrong in in alot of those cases they all ready had a record. I'm not saying I'm for it or against it right now, but if it can help parents protect there childern than I'm for it.

The Martial Art community as a whole need to take a stand against bad people let alone instructors that have these types of records. I'm not talking about someone that took a car on a joy ride but the one's that have a crimanal record that can cause some type of trouble for the school.

I believe it was Touch of Death that said most school owners run a check anyway. I know I do.

Terry

I disagree that most instructors run a check on their people. My reasoning is that most instructors get their staff from among their own students. And since they're taught that person for "X" amount of time, they feel they know them. Therefore, a background check isn't necessary...or so they think.

As for whether background checks are fool-proof, sadly they are not. But I think its a big help in protecting both the students, & the business owner from potential problems.

 

[James Kovacich]

The Martial Art community as a whole need to take a stand against bad people let alone instructors that have these types of records.
Terry

The martial art community as whole won't ever doing anything at all as a whole. But if the government had updated websites like this one
www.meganslaw.ca.gov/
http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/disclaimer.aspx
and pursued stiff fines to schools who employed these offenders, that might work. But the offenders who run the schools themselves need to follow the law and stay away from chilred and when they don't they need to be dealt with harsely.

But I don't think the govt should try and regulate martial arts.