Some kindergartners at Westwood Elementary School in Concord were unable to go to a pumpkin patch this year because chaperones could not get fingerprinted in time.

The unhappy students were victims of a stricter district policy requiring better background checks for adult volunteers who interact with students. Full-time and now overtime work resulted as hundreds of parents streamed into the district to get fingerprinted.

The district's backlog of fingerprinting appointments stretches into January.

"It's really the kids that suffer," said Vanessa Flores, who complained to the Mt. Diablo school board Oct. 27. "The teachers have a lot of kids and they kind of rely on the parents' help, since there's no money for aides anymore."

Last year, the district required fingerprinting and proof of tuberculosis testing for volunteers who had "extended contact" with students. Volunteers were allowed to start working with students as long as they had made a fingerprint appointment.