Now – not after an unfortunate incident – is the time for Lawrence school officials to talk about whether the district should have a formal screening process for volunteers who work with local students.

Lawrence doesn’t currently do background checks on school volunteers. There has never been a problem, according to Supt. Randy Weseman, and volunteers are supervised by school staff. Most Kansas school districts have a similar philosophy.

The Journal-World found only one district, Salina, that has a screening policy. Salina has been screening volunteers since 1999. The screening generally includes a check of motor vehicle, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services records.

So is Salina just being paranoid or is it better to be safe than sorry? That’s a question many school districts across the country are asking themselves and one that Lawrence school board members should consider.

It would be unfortunate to take any action that would discourage people from volunteering in local schools. At a time when so many parents work during school hours, it probably already is difficult to find volunteers to help with lessons and activities. Any new screening policy would have to be approached tactfully to prevent offending valued volunteers.

The vast majority of volunteers probably would easily pass any background check instituted by the Lawrence district and likely would understand the need for such checks. It is, however, the handful about whom the checks might raise a red flag that makes such a policy worth considering.

School volunteers are allowed to interact and build trust with students. Even though they are closely supervised while in the school, they have an opportunity to build relationships with children, relationships they could abuse when they are elsewhere in the community. Again, the vast majority of volunteers wouldn’t dream of any misconduct, but it only takes one person, one indiscretion, to damage a young life and shatter a school district’s sense of security.

Many local nonprofit agencies that work with children – Boys and Girls Club and Big Brother Big Sisters, for instance – already do background checks on their volunteers. There is some cost involved, but they apparently think the checks are important to the security and safety of the children in their care.

Maybe there’s no reason for Lawrence school officials to worry. Maybe they are comfortable with the ability of teachers and principals to recruit trustworthy volunteers. But it’s a discussion school officials and school board members should have. If something bad happens – or even if it doesn’t – everyone in a position of authority wants to be satisfied that all reasonable precautions had been taken to ensure the safety of children in the Lawrence schools.