Vol. 1, 2024 - 2025
For several years, the Supreme Council has required certain council leadership positions to take a Knights of Columbus approved Safe Environment training. If a man is the Grand Knight, Program, Family or Community Director, they are obliged to take this training. The Family and Community Directors are also obliged to submit to a background check.
As of October 13, for the 753 active councils in Texas, there were 3012 positions that ought to be Safe Environment compliant. But as of that date, only 1627 positions were fully compliant. That is 54%, which is a grade of F pretty much everywhere. We can do better.
Why is this so important? First and foremost, having our key personnel trained means we value the people we do charity towards. Abuse of children and vulnerable people destroys lives. It is something we all should be working to avoid. And the training shows us how abusers act and think, thus helping us identify and stop them.
In addition, this training is meant to help indemnify the Knights. If something happens, lawyers look for who to sue. And this training is one of the things the Knights can hold up to prove they made every effort to prevent the abuse from happening. This training also is meant to help protect you personally.
And yet, we still get push back and complaints about taking this training. I’d like to address a few of these.
Council officers can check their Safe Environment status in Officers Online. District Deputies can do the same for their councils. You are always free to contact me at william_tillotson@yahoo.com and I will look it up for you.
If you have lost the training link, simply contact the Office of Youth Protection at https://www.kofc.org/en/safe-environment-program/index.html. They will be able to help you. If, on the Star Tracker, you see a “No” under a director’s position, that man has been dropped from his role and a new Form 365 will need to be submitted to assign a man to that position.
Please help us show we value the Order by getting these tasks complete as soon as possible.
Bill Tillotson , State Council Awards Director
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