With Greg Sedlacek facing charges of sexually assaulting a child, questions have come up about the background checks that allowed him to pursue a career as a teacher. In this case, the Omaha Public School District followed hiring procedure and he checked out fine.
6 News talked with OPS officials on Thursday, explaining how the district gets background on potential teachers. It starts with a criminal check at three levels: local, state, and national.
OPS also checks child and adult abuse registries and the national sex offender registry. In this case, Sedlacek wasn't convicted of any crimes so his name didn't raise any red flags. District officials also said that references play a role in determining if they will hire an applicant.
They said that all applicants have references checked using an anonymous online reference survey. Because names aren't made known there is an opportunity for the references to be open and honest.
6 News asked OPS to confirm that Gregory Sedlacek's references were checked prior to his hiring at Fontenelle Elementary School and officials confirmed that he went through the reference-checking process.
An employment attorney told 6 News that a lot of organizations won't share concerns about a former employee out of fear of being sued.