Make it a public debate

Let an explosive issue simmer to a boil behind the scenes, out of public view, and usually the pot will boil over and blow up in someone's face.

That's the current predicament of the Southwest Vermont Career Development Center Board, which has been pressed by one of its members to do more about criminal background checks for adults taking courses during the day with teenage students.

Complicating matters, the CDC director has made the mistake of letting the board member's questioning get under his skin and hinting in an e-mail that he might have to resign if his reports to the board aren't believed. Thankfully, he later disavowed any thought of leaving the district.

The issue, which the board member, Larry Johnson, says is not being addressed with enough urgency, has now gotten far more attention than is likely deserves. If there is an epidemic in Vermont of criminals infiltrating tech ed centers and harming teen students, everyone must be keeping it a secret.

The teens involved in the CDC day courses also are typically 16 or older, and the "adults" might well be 18 to 21, although that detail should be clarified by the district.

As this now stands, the names of adults taking day courses at the CDC are checked against the Vermont sex offender registry, which recently was expanded. Full criminal background checks, on the other hand, might be overkill. Each option should, however, be debated during an open CDC board meeting before the policy

This should not be hashed out behind closed doors in a vain attempt to avoid controversy. That never works, as this situation illustrates.

The time and expense involved in a criminal check -- along with the negative effect those might have on course applications -- might not make them worthwhile. After all, with prior sex offenders already screened, what type of criminals would the CDC be looking for? Pot smokers? Bad drivers? Shop lifters? Getaway drivers eager to learn auto mechanics?

The odds are extremely slim that other types of criminal offenders would cause problems for teen students at the CDC. They might decide, however, against furthering their educations and attempting to make up for past mistakes.