YMCA takes hard look at workers
LAKELAND - YMCA’s across the state are taking a much closer look at who they hire after what happened in Polk County last month.
A former camp counselor at the Central Florida YMCA in Lakeland was charged with killing a 15-year-old neighborhood girl at his house.
Now, YMCA’s are doing more extensive criminal background checks. But, experts say it’s impossible to check out a potential employee completely because mental health issues are confidential.
Detectives say Mark Kuzara gave invited Stacy Glowe and another teen over to his house, gave them alcohol, and then stabbed Glowe.
Kuzara had served time in prison, but the Y didn’t know that. It used the same procedures as many other organizations.
It ordered three criminal background checks, one local, one state, and one federal. After the local one came back clean, the Y hired him. His criminal background would have shown up on the other checks.
Since then, the Y waits for all backgrounds checks to come back before they hire anyone.
But there’s still a gap. An employer cannot check someone’s mental health background.
“A provider of mental health services can not tell anyone if an individual has been, or has not been served. They can not disclose anything that is super confidentiality,” said Margaret Parry of the Peace River Center.
The Peace River Center, based in Bartow, provides comprehensive mental health services.
Parry says the incidence of violence with in the mentally ill population is lower than in the population at large.
Hiring anyone involves some risk. Even with the most extensive investigation, employers have to be aware of red flags.
“You ought to use your common sense,” said Jerry Hill, State Attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit.