The decision of the Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court in United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, Local Union No. 37 v. North Allegheny School District et al could add to the difficulty of finding qualified workers to perform work on school projects. The contracts furnished by two public school districts soliciting bids for roofing projects required all construction workers to obtain criminal background checks in accordance with Section 111 of the School Code. The Commonwealth Court rejected the union’s argument that because its members had no direct contact with children, they were exempt from the background checks because such checks are not required by the School Code, instead of ruling that school districts may require background checks even for those who have no direct contact with students.
