Claremont Looking Into Criminal Background Checks for Teachers

Claremont School District Superintendent Middleton McGoodwin will testify in front of Concord lawmakers this week in support of a bill that would stiffen the state’s policies on background checks for school employees and volunteers.

McGoodwin will speak in favor of the amended bill – HB346 – that would introduce immediate changes in how criminal background checks are processed. Claremont was put in the spotlight on this issue last year when a math teacher at Stevens High School was arrested for having sexual relations with a 14-year-old student.

The teacher, 29-year-old Christopher LeBlanc, had a prior conviction in federal court for a non-related charge that the district was unaware of prior to his hire. LeBlanc had also worked in the Windsor and Lebanon school districts.

HB346 is sponsored by a group of Claremont representatives.