Districts more careful about who comes in contact with children

Since former teacher Jon White's arrest and subsequent conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse for acts involving 10 children, both of his former school districts – Urbana and McLean County Unit 5 – have altered their hiring practices and training for mandated reporters.

In Urbana, potential hires are checked against both state and national registered sex offender Web sites. The national-level check is new this school year, said Gayle Jeffries, the district's assistant superintendent for human resources.

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