Wall Rec’s switch from KidSafe to Instant Verification ‘going well’

The Wall Recreation Department recently switched background check agencies, from KidSafe Record Checks to Instant Verification, Inc., and Committeeman Clinton Hoffman reported during the Wall Township Committee’s March 3 meeting that the ongoing transition is going smoothly.

All volunteers who work with minors are currently required to go through a background check, and, on March 1, the company conducting the check was officially changed to Instant Verification.

“It seems to be going well,” Committeeman Hoffman informed the other committee members.

All sports league presidents and volunteers were sent a letter detailing the change at the end of January to prepare them for the switch.

The background check consists of fingerprinting, which screens the criminal history of each applicant.

New Jersey law outlines which offenses would disqualify an individual from volunteering with minors. An applicant would be denied if they have been convicted of a crime or disorderly persons offense involving danger to the person; against the family, children or “incompetents,” which are legally defined as people with physical or mental impairments; theft; or involvement of any controlled dangerous substance.

Volunteers in Wall Township are asked to make an appointment to get fingerprinted via Instant Verification’s Web site, www.instantverificationinc.com.

Ten days after an applicant is fingerprinted, his or her name will appear on a list of “cleared volunteers” in Wall Township on Instant Verification’s Web site.

Instant Verification will only contact an applicant if he or she has not been cleared. If that occurs, only the applicant will be contacted.

At that point, an applicant who has not been cleared is entitled to receive a copy of his or her record and can appeal the decision within 30 days. To appeal, applicants must contact Instant Verification, who, in turn, will contact Wall Township.

Those who have been approved to volunteer with minors will have a photo taken for an identification card, and volunteers must have a visible identification card with them at all times.

Photo sessions are currently ongoing. They will be taking place in the evening throughout this month in the Municipal Complex.

In the past, the Wall Township Committee has treated decisions from KidSafe on a strictly pass-fail basis, Township Administrator Joseph Verruni has said.

This year, though, the committee has decided to entertain appeals with a separate appeals committee.

So, the next step for the township committee will be to set up an appeals committee, Committeeman Hoffman said last week.

The appeals committee will consist of at least a member of the township committee and a member of the Wall Township Police Department, the committeeman has said.

The committee will base its decisions on existing state laws.

State laws list the types of crimes that would still allow an offender to have contact with children.

For instance, the committeeman has said, certain crimes committed many years ago may not be severe enough to prevent a person from serving as a volunteer.

The appeals committee would be guided by state laws, which take into consideration the nature of the crime, the responsibility the convicted had in the crime, its seriousness, circumstances, date, whether it was isolated or repeated, and any social conditions that contributed.

The township committee is expected to further discuss details regarding an appeals committee at a future meeting.

Any volunteers with questions regarding photo sessions for identification cards, or the background check process, should contact Wall Recreation at 732-449-8444, extension 250 or 251.