Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association in need of stringent background investigations

State lawmakers should throw a penalty flag on the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association for failing to conduct background checks on officials at athletic events.

Given the widespread requirement that schools conduct background investigations on employees, including teachers, coaches, janitors and more, including, at times, construction and contract workers, it's stunning to learn that athletic officials in their striped shirts have slipped through the cracks.

And now it's time to change that.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that it found numerous instances of people having the same names as those with criminal records officiating sanctioned sporting events in Districts 7 and 8.

The PIAA acknowledges that the newspaper found some instances in which people who had committed crimes had officiated sporting events but noted that even after a yearlong investigation, the Post-Gazette didn't find any cases in which an athletic official committed a crime in connection with his officiating duties in the districts examined.

We're glad there apparently hasn't been a problem and that the PIAA has adopted policies that prohibit one-on-one, unsupervised contact between officials and student athletes.

But just because there hasn't been problems in the past doesn't mean the PIAA shouldn't look to improve its policies.

Since 2006, the PIAA has asked people applying to be officials for the first time if they have been convicted of a felony, and if so, what it was and when it happened? But the organization doesn't check on the applicant's truthfulness, nor does it inquire about the criminal records of those who had registered before 2006.

The PIAA says it relies on schools and others associated with the athletic association to identify those who have been convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes and does regular evaluations in an effort to spot problems.

Those are reasonable steps, but the lack of criminal background checks still leaves a hole that should be plugged.

The PIAA raises concerns about the cost of doing regular background investigations for the approximately 13,700 officials that register every year. The group says other states have seen 10 percent to 25 percent drops in the number of people signed up to officiate when background checks are required.

The PIAA also expresses worries about whether increasing the cost of dues of athletic officials to cover the expense of the background checks would reduce the number of applicants.

But what is the cost to the PIAA's reputation if it cannot attest to the criminal history of its referees, umpires and officials?

Perhaps there could be a middle ground in which background checks are done immediately on new applicants and on a rotating basis, for example once every three years, for existing officials. This might not be perfect, at least it would be better than what currently exists.

The bottom line is checking on whether referees, umpires and other athletic officials have committed crimes may come at a cost and be an inconvenience to the PIAA, but our kids are worth it.Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns