Staff and Volunteer Screening

How adults are cleared before working with children at Rainbow DJ Lab, with Chicago Park District background checks under CPD rules plus the Lab's own training requirements.

Status

No staff or volunteers have been hired yet, and no one has been screened. This policy was adopted by the Ras Tafari Inc. board on October 17, 2026. "CPD background checks complete for every adult under CPD rules" is item 3 on the launch checklist. No class runs until it is checked.

Who runs background checks

The Chicago Park District (CPD) runs background checks for adults who work with children at the park, under CPD's own rules. Ras Tafari Inc. does not run its own background-check process and does not substitute one for CPD's.

CPD decides what its check includes, who clears, and when checks are renewed.
Ras Tafari Inc.'s job is to make sure no adult works with children until CPD's check is complete, and to keep a record that it was.
CPD's process applies to every adult on site during program hours, including Q-Ality Sound's sound and stage crew. Q-Ality's staff never supervise children and never have unsupervised contact with them, whatever their check says.

Who must be cleared

Every adult who works with children at any Lab activity, paid or volunteer: coaches, mentors, the women DJs who teach Empress Decks, guest DJs who are with children, and Ras Tafari Inc. officers who attend classes, including the President.

Parents who stay with their own Little DJ (ages 5–7) are not Lab adults. They are never counted in the ratio, are never left in charge of other children, and follow the Youth protection policy conduct rules.

The steps, in order

Step	What happens	Who does it	Before
1. Application	Written application with work and volunteer history with children	Applicant	Interview
2. Interview	Questions about boundaries, supervision and how they would handle scenarios on this site	Lab lead plus one other adult	References
3. References	At least two references, at least one of whom has seen the person work with young people. Checked by phone, with notes kept.	Lab lead	First class
4. CPD background check	The Chicago Park District's background check, under CPD's rules	Chicago Park District	First class
5. Youth-protection training	Training on abuse prevention, grooming, boundaries, and our Youth protection policy	Applicant	First class
6. Mandated reporter training	Illinois DCFS mandated reporter training; certificate on file. See Mandated reporter training.	Applicant	First class
7. Sign the policies	Signs the Youth protection policy, the Substance-free policy and, for trainers, the conflict of interest policy	Applicant	First class
8. Final sign-off	Lab lead confirms CPD's check is complete and every Lab step is recorded; a second Ras Tafari Inc. officer double-checks the file	Lab lead + one officer	First class

No step can be skipped, and no one works with children "while results are pending." A person who has not finished every step does not attend class, even as an observer helping out.

At least one adult in every class also holds current pediatric first aid/CPR/AED certification (American Red Cross or American Heart Association). See the First aid and CPR roster.

How results are judged

CPD decides who clears its background check, under its rules. Ras Tafari Inc. does not second-guess or override a CPD result. If CPD does not clear a person, that person does not work with children at the Lab.

Ras Tafari Inc. may still decline to hire someone who has cleared CPD's check, for example because of an interview, a reference, or an unwillingness to follow the policies on this site. When in doubt, the answer is no.

Renewal

Item	Renewed
CPD background check	On CPD's schedule, under CPD's rules
Youth-protection training	Every 2 years
Mandated reporter training	Every 2 years (see Mandated reporter training)
Pediatric first aid/CPR/AED (where held)	Before the certificate's expiration date

An adult whose clearance or training lapses stops working with children on the lapse date until it is renewed.

How records are kept

Background checks belong to CPD's process. Ras Tafari Inc. keeps only what it needs to show a check is complete, in a locked or access-controlled file.
Nothing about a person's background check is posted, emailed to families, or stored in the class app.

Concerns about an adult

Concerns about any adult go to the Chicago Park District: the Rainbow Beach Park office, (312) 745-1479, or any CPD staff member. Ras Tafari Inc. passes along anything it receives and cooperates fully; it does not investigate in place of CPD. Suspected abuse or neglect goes straight to the DCFS Hotline, 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873), and immediate danger to 911. See Report a concern.

What parents can ask to see

You may ask, for each adult who works with your child:

You can see	You cannot see
Confirmation that CPD's background check is complete	The background check itself, or any details of a person's record
The date youth-protection training was completed	Interview notes or reference comments
The date mandated reporter training was completed	Home address, birth date or other personal data
Whether pediatric first aid/CPR/AED is current, and its expiration date

To ask, call or email Stephen Henry: 872-255-9333, stephen@selassiefest.com. We will answer within 3 business days.

What you'll be told

Before your child's first class: confirmation that every adult on the team has cleared CPD's check and completed every Lab step.
If a new adult joins after classes have started: confirmation that they did the same before their first class.
If an adult is removed: that the adult is no longer with the Lab (not the reason, where privacy law or an investigation prevents it).

Sources

Chicago Park District: https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, mandated reporter training: https://dcfs.illinois.gov/
U.S. Center for SafeSport, MAAPP: https://maapp.uscenterforsafesport.org/