OUR VIEW: Background checks must be thorough, or else ...

As reported Thursday, a recently filed civil lawsuit alleges that a Culpeper man working as a counselor had inappropriate sexual contact with a minor and that he had fraudulent credentials that left him unqualified for the job.

In addition, records show he has an arrest history that includes convictions for being drunk in public, making threats over the phone and failure to appear in court.

It’s important to remember that this is a civil lawsuit and that no criminal charges have been filed. No one has been convicted of anything. With that said, this entire ordeal underscores the need for extensive background checks when hiring for any position that requires contact with minors.

Teachers, counselors, law enforcement officers, custodians in schools and even bus drivers should have criminal background checks, psychological testing and a thorough check of all credentials before they are allowed on the job.

Strides have been made in this area on many fronts. But if there is a shred of truth to the allegations outlined in this suit, there is still a lot of ground that needs to be covered before we can be sure that our children are safe and getting the guidance they deserve.

Working as a counselor requires extensive training, as a person in need of guidance is seeking advice and answers to troubling life questions. This suit alleges that the counselor had a degree from an online diploma mill and that, despite assurances to the contrary, his employer did little to check the credibility of items listed on his resume.

One argument is that background checks are time-consuming and expensive. True in some cases, but not in the majority. Most of the time, items listed on a resume can be checked with a click of a computer mouse or a few phone calls.

The courts will decide the merits of this suit, but we don’t need a verdict to tell us that we have to protect our children.

If a little effort and time to perform background checks will help do that, then we have to make it happen in all cases where a job requires contact with children.