The arrest of a Gilroy High School math teacher charged with nine counts of sex crimes with a 14-year-old girl illustrates the need for more thorough background checks for teachers. Morgan Hill resident Alberto Gomez Vicuna Jr., 32, was arrested Feb. 25 near his home after the girl's parents told San Jose police that Vicuna was having sex with a minor. The girl was not a GHS student but attended a high school in San Jose. She met Vicuna through the Internet social networking site, Tagged.com.
Officials check references, fingerprints
GHS officials said background checks are conducted and that all teachers are fingerprinted to ensure they are not listed on either national or state sex offender Web sites. In addition, Principal James Maxwell calls references. In Morgan Hill, officials require fingerprint clearance and a reference check before employment.
And while some students said he was a "good person" who would "mess around with us but not in a sexual way," at least one parent voiced her concern earlier in the year when her son was not getting the attention he needed because Vicuna focused on the girls in class. "If they had a pedophile on school grounds, I want to know if they're not doing a good enough background check," Jeannie White, the mother of a 14-year-old boy told reporter Sara Suddes.
Time to be more thorough
But, in this day and age, is that enough? Though it is not common to check a future employee's status on social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace, GHS Assistant Principal Stefani Garino told reporter Sara Suddes that doing so might be necessary in the future. Agreed. Performing due diligence today is much different than what it was years ago and checking social networking sites is a good idea, though not a guarantee. If it becomes common practice, potential employees with shady backgrounds may drop out or not even apply. It could become a filter by itself. Though it isn't fail safe, it is a good idea worth exploring.
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