By MARC VALERO

SEBRING — The Highlands County School District did not effectively perform fingerprinting and background checks on construction workers who were permitted access to school grounds when students were present, according to the Florida Auditor General.

Noted in the audit report for the year ending June 30, 2006, the school district had not conducted the required fingerprinting or background screening, using its agency code, for workers on the Lake Placid Elementary School new classroom building construction.

Failure to conduct the fingerprinting/background screening, to ensure that independent contractors and subcontractors have met level 2 screening requirements, increases the risk that contractual personnel may have backgrounds that are not suitable for direct contact with students, according to the audit.

The Jessica Lunsford Act requires checking the names of contractual personnel against the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sexual Predator/Offender Registry.

The school district responded to the Auditor General, “The district will review its procedures to ensure that the required fingerprinting and background checks are performed.”

Also noted in the audit report, the district improperly entered into a design-build contract with a roofing contractor for six projects totaling $545,354 rather than engaging a licensed design professional and soliciting bids as required by Florida statutes. The district negotiated the cost of each project and established a guaranteed maximum price with the contractor rather than soliciting bids.

The district responded that it will retain a design professional as needed for future roofing projects.

Also, improvements were needed in the district’s procedures to ensure that the charter school, Hopewell Academy for the Arts, meets the provisions of the contract between the school board and the charter school, the Auditor General noted.