News and Announcements
Little League Baseball and Softball requires that all of its leagues perform background checks on all of its volunteers who provide regular service and/or have repetitive access to children. This season, the number of free background checks afforded to each league will increase by 56 percent.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2009, the number of free background checks available to chartered local leagues and districts through ChoicePoint, newly-acquired by LexisNexis, has been increased from 80 to 125. To sign up and start doing background checks, go to http://littleleague.choicepoint.com.
Local Little Leagues have been required to conduct a nationwide background checks that include all the applicable government sex offender registry data since 2007. Statewide checks were required from 2003 to 2006. However, Little League International recommends that leagues go beyond the minimum in order to obtain information on other sex crimes and criminal charges that will not be found on the National Sex Offender Registry.
Keep in mind the number of background checks your league must be conducting on an annual basis. To be compliant with the Little League regulation, leagues must conduct checks on all coaches and managers, board members, and any other persons, volunteers or hired workers that provide regular service and/or have repetitive access to, or contact with players or teams. This includes, but is not limited, to extra practice coaches, umpires, team parents, grounds crew, scorekeepers and concession workers.
Information on Little League’s background check regulation is available in the 2009 A Safety Awareness Plan (ASAP) materials that are currently available the Little League website, at: http://www.littleleague.org/learn/forms.htm#asap.
