Kauffman bill to protect tribal children sails through Senate

OLYMPIA – Native American children in Washington would be protected from convicted criminals who apply for jobs in tribal schools under a bill passed by Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D- Kent. The Senate today passed Senate Bill 5382.

“All children should be protected from adults convicted of certain crimes,” Kauffman said. “This bill would extend to tribal children the same protection that students in public schools are provided.”

Federal law requires tribal schools that receive federal funding to conduct background investigations into each employee that has regular contact with students. Public schools in Washington must conduct background checks, too, and perform them through the Washington State Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, there is no uniform process for Indian schools to conduct their background checks. Some schools contract with their local school district, and some request the information from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). This bill would permit Indian schools to conduct background checks through the same process as public schools.

“This just makes sense,” said Kauffman. “It doesn’t matter whether Washington children attend a tribal school, or a state-funded public school. We need to keep all kids safe from predators, and this bill would help accomplish that.”

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