No Background Check, No Job

The State Education Department could begin naming names today.Almost 350 school board members have failed to complete a required criminal background check. By law, they have to resign. If they do not, they can be arrested and jailed.

This is going to be interesting. It's unknown how many -- if any -- board members have handed in their resignation letters, but we guess it's not many.

We're also curious to hear the excuses given by the board members for not getting this done. Perhaps some forgot. Maybe some thought the new law didn't apply to them, or chose to ignore it.

More frightening is the possibility some of these board members are hiding something.

The law is the only one of its kind in the nation and disqualifies anyone convicted of certain crimes from serving on a board of education or charter school board.

Prospective teachers are ineligible to work in schools if they have been convicted of certain crimes. Supporters of the bill said at the time of its signing in May that it makes sense for school board members to be held to the same standard.