Dutchess County parents call for stricter background checks for businesses that work with kids
Advocates say the state law requires background checks for school employees and child care facilities but not businesses where kids take part in after school activities.
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Some Dutchess County parents are calling for stricter background checks for businesses that work with kids.
"These are children. This is our most vulnerable population," says Katie Toohey, a Pine Plains parent.
"When people have this extended access to children, we really need to make sure these are safe people," says Dr. Kimberly Ortiz-Hartman, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Armonk.
This comes after the arrest of Tyler Leclerc, a local martial arts teacher accused of sexually abusing young students.
News 12 confirmed with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office that the studio owner, Robert Leclerc, pleaded guilty to rape in the late 1990’s – right around the same time that online records show he opened the martial arts business in Dutchess and Ulster counties.
Advocates say the state law requires background checks for school employees and child care facilities but not businesses where kids take part in after-school activities.
"Family members should be able to feel confident that the individuals who are working with their children, have access to their children, especially when they're not there, have been fully vetted," State Sen. Rob Rolison, (R) 39th Senate District.
Sen. Rolison represents parts of Dutchess County and is a co-sponsor of a bill he says would change the law.
Parents say it should have happened sooner.
"A lot of us are sitting here wondering, how? Why are those places exempt?" says Toohey.
News 12 also reached out to Leclerc Martial Arts for comment, but the phone number and website were both disconnected.
