A Message from DCI CEO Dan Acheson

[tesmusic]

1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

And with Midwest Connection this past season..... after the rule went into effect

I filed a tip through the reporting system about Larson, they responded that they looked into it, and he was not involved with Midwest Connection. I found that odd.

[Terri Schehr]

6 minutes ago, tesmusic said:

I filed a tip through the reporting system about Larson, they responded that they looked into it, and he was not involved with Midwest Connection. I found that odd.

Funny they had his photo with the group on the cover of their Facebook page for a few months. 

[Jeff Ream]

23 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

Hop did get an email in 2012 and he responded.  He said that YEA does background checks, which was true because Jim was background checked both times he drove for The Cadets on tour. 

He was the only person who responded. 

and as we have seen background checks don't show everything

[Jeff Ream]

19 minutes ago, tesmusic said:

I filed a tip through the reporting system about Larson, they responded that they looked into it, and he was not involved with Midwest Connection. I found that odd.

Does that mean they sent an sos and MC ended his participation?

[Icer]

11 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

Hop did get an email in 2012 and he responded.  He said that YEA does background checks, which was true because Jim was background checked both times he drove for The Cadets on tour. 

He was the only person who responded. 

There are two levels here, especially with regard to YEA:

1. In the wake of the Sandusky scandal, Pennsylvania instituted new guidelines for background checking everyone. As far as I am aware, YEA has been at or above the requirements for compliance.  The problem is (a) sometimes a person can come up clean on a background check who is not (which is my understanding of what happened with Atchison); and (b) in the case or Hop, he would have passed any background check imaginable right up until the moment the Inquirer story was published. 

2. Is there stuff that SHOULD be known?  But if a person has been fired from a previous job and the reasons are known (and have anything to do with sexual impropriety, substance abuse, etc), then it is just asking for trouble to hire them.  Again, Hop would not have triggered anything, but at this point I think a corps would be wise to do at least a google search on everyone whom they hire in any significant capacity. Hopefully YEA and every corps has instituted such a policy by now. 

Notwithstanding the above, one cannot and should not act on the basis of rumors. Investigate, yes, but act? Not without some substantiation. He said-she said is one thing.  But when there isn’t even a she-said to talk to, it is patently unfair to penalize a person who cannot respond to vapor. 

[Terri Schehr]

8 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

and as we have seen background checks don't show everything

Exactly.  Sometimes you find out stuff with a simple google search. 

[N.E. Brigand]

17 hours ago, garfield said:

Ecchhh... WHAT?  For God's sake, you've missed some of my best work!

Sorry, there were two more days of marching bands, you know.

[Terri Schehr]

9 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

Does that mean they sent an sos and MC ended his participation?

Someone on drumcorps Reddit who was a member said they cut him loose before DCI championships. 

[tesmusic]

24 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

Does that mean they sent an sos and MC ended his participation?

I sent it in September.

[Terri Schehr]

3 minutes ago, tesmusic said:

I sent it in September.

According to the member on drumcorps Reddit, he was gone before finals.