MCPS background check lets "things slip through" the screening process

Gazette:  MCPS official: ‘No red flags’ when Bowman hired

...The school system officials addressed community concern that Bowman, 37, of the 4900 block of Veronica Court in Indian Head has faced other charges in the past.
Goodman said “there were no red flags” among the information the school system had when it hired Bowman, but that the school system might have acted differently if it had known more about him.
In Prince George’s County District Court, Bowman faced charges in 2010 related to second-degree assault and violating a protective order, according to online court records.
The records show he pleaded guilty to only one charge of violating a protective order and was fined $100.
In a school system with a large number of employees, Goodman said, sometimes things slip through the school system’s screening process that includes a background check, transcripts and letters of recommendation...

...One person who attended the meeting asked why the school system allowed Bowman back into the school after its investigation but police had arrested him after they looked into the incidents.
Hellmuth said that the arrest doesn’t signify criminal intent on Bowman’s part...

...He added there are some “nuances” between the statements the female employees gave to the school system and those they gave to police.
After one man raised concerns during the PTA meeting that Bowman returned to work with the female employees, Grundy said Bowman’s reported behavior involving inappropriate, non-sexual touching did not warrant moving him out of the school...

...Lori Sciannella, a substitute teacher who has worked at the school since October, said after the meeting she still had unanswered questions, including whether the employees involved had had an opportunity to go to police when they raised their concerns about Bowman that led to the school’s investigation.
“I would hope that they would tighten up their vetting process,” she said of the school system...