Until this year no one in the Boulder Valley School District ever felt it was necessary to do background checks on their volunteers. As a result, sex offenders could have been cruising into your children’s schools with free hall-passes for years.  It irks me to think about all of the potential sexual predators that may have come in and out of Boulder’s schools over the years.  Now, finally, Boulder is going to tighten things up!

This rule has not yet gone into effect, but by the end of the year, any person wanting to volunteer at any Boulder Valley school will have to have to be cross-checked with a sex-offender registry.  I am wondering why there is no rush to get this done and why officials are not pushing this through today!  As a parent, how do you feel about the fact that today, your children could be going to class with a known sexual predator, but that no one seems to be concerned enough to act now?  I do not have children of my own, and I can tell you now, in the nicest way I know how, that I am not happy with it, AT ALL! 

They (school officials) are now saying that “it makes sense to have staff memebers at individual schools check sex-offender registries for their volunteers.”   No kidding it makes sense people!!! And the major concern among school officials is the amount of money it will cost.  Screw money! Protect our kids, bottom line!! 

     This idea had never even been thought up until a concerned parent at Louisville Elementary School started to wonder about who the new volunteers in his sons kindergarten class were.  So, he inquired about the “non-licensed” volunteers and learned that there is no policy regarding background checks.  This provides plenty of opportunity for criminals and sexual predators to come into our schools on a supposed philanthropic path.  And, criminals are always looking for those loopholes.  That access to achieve their goals under the wire.  Boulder Valley School district has been providing that opportunity for its entire existence.  Thank you BVSD! 

The concerned parent proposed to BVSD this week, that they make it mandatory for all volunteers to go through the background check, and that they should be resubmitted every three years.  Boulder Valley Schools has agreed to do background checks on all volunteers, but it may not be implemented until the end of the school year.  They are continuing a review of the proposal and I am sure modifications will be made.  Currently, they do not have mandatory checks, but do, say that they can, at any time, check a volunteers background, and can, at any time, reject a volunteer for any reason.  But, how often does that happen?

I commend the concerned parent who actually thought to check on his sons volunteers and I am happy that BVSD is taking it seriously and taking pre-emptive measures to protect our children before something terrible happens.  I am just surprised it hadn’t been thought of and implemented long ago. 

** This blog was written in response to the Boulder Daily Camera article written on Thursday September 25, 2008 by Vanessa Miller.  The Camera article was quoted on several occasions.   

As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with all the chemicals in our food, our furniture, our carpet, and toys manufactured in a country far away we now have to worry about Radon gas too?  Radon is an odorless (not like grandpa’s gas), colorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that’s formed from the decay of radium contained in rock, soil, and water.  Radon gas reportedly causes over 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States.  It is also the second most frequent cause of lung cancer deaths with cigarette smoking taking the number one spot.
When purchasing a home, especially a home with a basement, it is very important to have the radon levels checked before you buy the home.  Most home inspectors are able to perform a radon test and the cost to do so is usually around $100.  According to the EPA, radon levels above 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) are a health hazard.  If radon levels are high you should install a radon mitigation system.  Most radon mitigation systems will start at $800 or higher depending on the size of the basement, crawl spaces, and foundation/flooring composition.

Radon levels vary depending on geographic locations and soil composition and levels from home to home can vary.  If you would like to see where radon levels are most prevalent check out the map below.

A good real estate agent will always recommend you test for radon if you are about to purchase a home with a basement.  It is definitely worth the extra money to test for radon especially if you will be spending time in the basement of your new home.  A short term test may take 2-3 days and test results may take an additional 1-3 so get this tested as soon as possible after you are under contract.  Most sellers are willing to remedy the issue by installing or paying for a radon mitigation system.

Don’t be a RADON casualty!!