Kaukauna Area School District in Wisconsin moved its background checks to Bchex from a provider that took a week or two. Holly Parks, who handles the district’s onboarding and new hiring, now sends each new hire one link and approves submissions every morning instead of chasing paperwork.
The challenge
Paper forms to chase, and a week or two to wait for results.
The result
One link per new hire, and results in less than half the time.
About Kaukauna Area School District
Kaukauna Area School District is a large public school district in Wisconsin. Holly Parks works in Human Resources and handles all of the district’s onboarding and new hiring, including the adults who sign up to help on field trips.
Success story snapshot
- Results in less than half the time the old provider took
- One link replaces the paper forms new hires used to fill out
- Any school office can send a link, and HR approves from one list
- A chat option when a new hire’s ID won’t scan
Paperwork and a long wait
Forms to chase. Background checks used to mean paperwork. Nothing could start until a new hire got the forms back to Holly.
A week or two for results. “We don’t have to wait a week or two, which is how we used to have to wait for the other company we were working with,” Holly says.
Dates that don’t move. Field trips need cleared adults by a set date, and plans sometimes change at the last minute.
It’s a very quick, easy process for the end user and for ourselves as the employer.
One link and a morning routine
A link instead of paperwork. Holly sends each new hire a link. They complete everything there and submit straight to Bchex. “I don’t have to wait to get it back,” she says.
Approvals over coffee. “Every morning I log on and I just send through the ones that I want to be approved.”
Every building in the loop. Administrative assistants across the district can send a link for something like a field trip. HR sees every name that comes in and pushes through as many as it needs. “We need five people for this field trip. So we know we can select five people, put them through.”
A backup when an ID won’t scan. When one employee’s ID wouldn’t work with the QR code, instructions on the page offered a second route. She chatted with someone, her identification was verified, and she finished in good time.
When we receive the results back, they’re very easy to read. Everything is very clear, very easy to use.
A last-minute chaperone, cleared in about 48 hours
At the end of one school year, a parent chaperone got sick right before a field trip. The district sent a replacement the link, pushed the request through, and had the result back within about 48 hours. “It’s just a fast, easy process, which we love,” Holly says.
Day to day, some parts of a check return right away, and the system shows an estimated completion date for the rest. Results are easy to read, including when something could lead to a denial.
Speed changed what the district is willing to check. “There’s no reason why we wouldn’t do a background check for someone who wants to be in our schools,” Holly says. When checks are fast, nobody gets skipped.
We’ve had a great experience with them and are very thrilled to be working with them.
What other schools can take from this
- Replace paper forms with one link. New hires complete and submit the check themselves, so HR has nothing to chase.
- Let every building send, and approve in one place. School offices send links for field trips; HR approves from one list each morning.
- Plan for ID problems. A chat option kept one new hire moving when her ID wouldn’t scan.
* Some numbers come from customer quotes given in 2024. Today, about 85% of eligible Bchex searches come back within 24 hours.
Kaukauna Area School District and Bchex: quick answers
- How much faster are background checks after switching to Bchex?
- At Kaukauna Area School District, waits dropped by more than half. Holly Parks says the district’s previous provider took a week or two. With Bchex, parts of a check come back right away and the system shows an estimated completion date for the rest. Holly described this in June 2024. Today, about 85% of eligible Bchex searches come back within 24 hours.
- How do new hires complete a school background check?
- Holly Parks sends each new hire a link. They complete the whole process there and submit directly to Bchex, so there’s no paperwork to chase. Each morning she logs on and sends through the ones she wants approved.
- What happens if a new hire’s ID won’t scan?
- At Kaukauna, one employee’s ID wouldn’t work with the QR code scan. Instructions on the page offered a second option: she chatted with someone, her identification was verified, and she finished her background check in good time.
- Do school districts background check field trip chaperones?
- Kaukauna Area School District does. Administrative assistants across the district can send a background check link for something like a field trip, and HR approves as many people as the trip needs. “There’s no reason why we wouldn’t do a background check for someone who wants to be in our schools,” says Holly Parks.
- Are Bchex background check results easy to read?
- Holly Parks of Kaukauna Area School District says yes: “When we receive the results back, they’re very easy to read. Everything is very clear, very easy to use.” Results also make it clear when something could lead to a denial.
- Why did Kaukauna Area School District switch background check providers?
- Its previous provider took a week or two and relied on paper forms. With Bchex, each new hire completes the check from one link and submits it directly, and Holly Parks approves submissions each morning. “It’s a very quick, easy process for the end user and for ourselves as the employer,” she says.
About Bchex
Bchex, formerly known as Background Investigation Bureau (BIB), is a PBSA-accredited, SOC 2 Type 2 certified background screening and workforce safety company founded in 1995 and based in Huntersville, North Carolina. It has run more than 40 million checks for 2,000+ organizations, including school districts, churches, nonprofits, staffing firms, and employers. The Bchex Safety Ecosystem covers background checks, volunteer screening with SecureVolunteer, ongoing monitoring with Chex365, and visitor check-in with Chexpass.
