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WHEELING -- New protocols to enhance safety and reduce risk in Catholic schools in West Virginia are being implemented, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston said on Thursday.
The diocese is expanding its Safe Environment Program to include fingerprinting during background check process and hiring Corporate Security and Investigations of Pennsylvania as the third-party service provider to conduct Safe Environment spot checks, site assessments and training, all required by Bishop Mark Brennan. The precautions were announced in a letter Brennan sent on Feb. 20 to pastors, administrators and principals of Catholic schools.
"Today I write to you with hope and confidence that the efforts to establish a culture of safety and awareness in our diocese continue to move forward in significant ways," Brennan said.
Fingerprinting is required of not only the bishop, but all priests and deacons, seminarians, Catholic school principals, teachers, staff and certain volunteers and chancery staff, he said. Fingerprints will be submitted to the FBI as part of the background check process, Brennan said.
"The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Catholic Schools is eager to be a part of the fingerprinting initiative," Catholic Schools Superintendent Mary Ann Deschaine said. "We continue to work on providing opportunities to enhance our traditions of excellence in our Catholic schools. Participating in this fingerprinting initiative is the logical next step in improving our already rigorous Safe Environment policies."
Fingerprint records will not be kept by schools or the diocese.
Corporate Security and Investigations is comprised of experienced professionals from law enforcement, public safety, academia and the private sector who specialize on safety, Brennan said. Beginning this year, the company will go to parishes and schools to perform more frequent and regular spot checks to ensure compliance, accuracy and consistency at the local level.
Experts from the company will assess and evaluate site security and offer recommendations to enhance the physical safety of people, buildings, and properties. The preliminary plan is to conduct site assessments by regions coupling them with fingerprinting and safe environment spot checks. Corporate Security will review and offer suggestions for site security plans that parishes or schools already have in place.
The diocese, through the representatives of Corporate Security and diocesan counsel, will offer training on safety, de-escalation and harassment of professional staff.
The Office of Safe Environment welcomes the additional measures that will contribute to the safety of young people and peace of mind of parents and educators, Bryan Minor, director of Diocesan Administrative Services and Safe Environment Process administrator, said.
"Our school children and our parishioners are our greatest gifts and our greatest resources," Minor said. "Ensuring their safety is an ongoing process that involves collaboration and cooperation on many fronts. There are many good, hard-working people throughout our diocese at the parish and school levels who are committed to helping the diocese create safe environments to worship and learn. Their efforts are deeply appreciated. These new measures that the diocese is undertaking illustrate Bishop Brennan's leadership toward creating a culture of safety throughout West Virginia."
The Safe Environment Office looks forward to working with parishes, schools, clergy, and seminarians throughout the diocese to implement these additional protocols, Minor said. The Office of Safe Environment strives to raise awareness and reduce risk throughout the diocese, Minor said, noting that the Safe Environment process is mandatory for employees and volunteers who work directly or indirectly with children.
In addition to the new protocols to the Safe Environment Program, the diocese will soon implement Ethics Point, the third-party reporting system, policies designed to provide necessary stewardship of church resources, establish a victims assistance fund and encourage the reporting of abuse to civil authorities first and foremost, Brennan said.
"It is my sincerest hope that the implementation of these measures, coupled with those upon which we already have embarked, will continue to illustrate our commitment to growing the culture of safety we all want to provide," Brennan said.