criminal background check rights

[volunteering]

charges were brought against me in 2/07 and I was sentenced in 10/07 for illegal purchase of ephedrine/psuedoephedrine. On advice of public defender i was led to believe I couldn't fight charges and that my only option was to plead guilty. Fast forward to present I have been a regular volunteer for my sons over past 4 yrs at school and sporting organizations. This year our football program has went with usa football and I was told I was filling out a minimal background check. I answered all questions truthfully and to best of my ability yet some questions double talked and were a little confusing. I received notice that organization may take adverse actions in allowing me to continue coaching. I got copy of their report and they highlighted the charges. I am assuming that because I answered no to questions in reguards to controlled substances that I had no offenses is why I am being flagged but don't know. I have not had any problems with law since then and that is all that showed up. Can I do anything or do I have any rights? One I want to continue coaching two I don't want info getting out to kids school. I'm being haunted by a charge that wasn't even a full law when I was convicted and I paid my dues for a honest mistake of buying two boxes of cold pills in too short of time. I signed the form at pharmacy to purchase and followed all there proceedures and yet I was still punished and being haunted by it today.

 

[Betty3]

More & more organizations are doing background checks on coaches & other volunteers who work with youth. Most all have certain screening requirements/criteria that must be met. You might not meet their criteria. You can try explaining what happened - it's their decision whether to allow you to continue coaching. They might also believe you lied to them by answering no to the controlled substances question. They don't like it when people lie.

 

[mightymoose]

I would think your current dishonest answer on the questionnaire is more harmful than your past conviction.
Perhaps you misunderstood the question, but you should have asked questions before submitting it.
It seems obvious you were hoping nobody would find out rather than letting the truth be known.

 

[disagreeable]

I suggest we go back to the source. You need to research the original statute you were convicted under. Part of the process to rewrite it, might have been based on a differentiation between pseudoephedrine and adulterated pseudoephedrine (hydrochloride). The current statute addresses adulterated also. If the original statute was strictly based on psuedoephedrine purchase, you can petition the court to readjudicate your conviction and hope for a not guilty finding.

 

[volunteering]

I'm not sure that it is controlled substance or at time it wasn't. It was right at the beginning of making of the new laws. If it was controlled substance I would of had to have perscription and would of been charged with controlled substance wouldn't I? That is where confusion is. Are they concidering it a controlled substance?

 

[disagreeable]

Check at the courthouse or online to determine what statute you were convicted of. Come back here with the statute number.