A growing number of Western Bay schools are running police checks on all parent helpers to protect the safety of their students on camps and sports trips.
This week, Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro urged all schools to follow more formal safety policies, and as a result, another Western Bay principal has decided to put all parent-helpers through the police-vetting system.
While Dr Kiro did not suggest it become mandatory, she did highlight the need for more formal procedures.
Brookfield Primary School abandoned its honesty policy in favour of requesting police checks to ensure children's safety on school camps and sports trips.
Principal Anton Prinsloo said mandatory checks on volunteer parents would be a positive change.
The school had formerly asked parents who volunteered to "tick a box" if they had a criminal conviction. But the change meant police would now be officially involved.
"We are safe-guarding ourselves and at the same time, if a parent has a criminal history they obviously won't put up their hand to help."
Mr Prinsloo said the only downside to police-vetting was the cost - between $10 and $20 per person - which may be added to the cost of school camps.
The issue has divided Bay schools.
Of 10 Bay schools selected randomly this week, two told the Bay of Plenty Times they vetted parent volunteers, another two were considering it and the principal of one was strongly opposed.
Merivale Primary School principal Delcie Martin said police-vetting her parent helpers would be a "total insult".
With a roll of 200 this year, she said the close-knit community enjoyed a "first-name basis" relationship with parents and trusted them with the pupils.
"We are small enough that we know most of our parents. We are not going to start the police checks. It is an insult to helpers."
Under the Education Standards Act, schools are not required to vet parent volunteers - only teachers, contractors and cleaners.
But Otumoetai College principal Dave Randell said he had used the police-vetting system for all volunteers since it was made available in April 2002, and he believed it was a valuable tool for ensuring students' safety.
Mr Randell had not had to turn away any parents because of their results - but he decided not to hire one support staff applicant whose records showed a history of drug dealing and prostitution.
"They (parents) appreciate the checking," he said.
``The last thing I need is someone with a sexual offence helping out in school. No one has objected to it yet."
Principals from Greenpark School and Greerton Village School agreed with Mr Randell.
But principals at Tauranga Girls' College, Mount Maunganui College and Gate Pa Primary disagreed that every volunteer should be checked.
"The kind of people who put their hand up to volunteer are generally very good," said Tauranga Girls' principal Pauline Cowens.
Other schools such as Bethlehem Primary, Arataki School and Te Puke High School were wary of deciding either way and said they looked at situations on an individual basis.
Bay of Plenty Secondary Principals Association chairman Brian Seatter described police-vetting every parent who volunteered to help as a "logistical nightmare".
As principal of Bethlehem College, Mr Seatter acknowledged the importance of safety for youngsters, but said the cost and time involved in running hundreds of checks made it impossible.
"It would just make it all the harder to get our precious volunteers," he said.
The national manager of licensing and vetting, Inspector Joe Green, said requests had increased from 270,000 in 2002/03 to 420,000 in 2003/04.
Numbers had remained static over the past year.
Schools checking on parent helpers
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