4112.5

4212.5

Personnel -- Certified/Non-Certified

Security Check/Fingerprinting

In order to create a safe and orderly environment for students, all offers of employment will be conditional upon the successful outcome of a criminal record check.

District employees and volunteers shall within 30 days after they are hired or approved by the Board of Education submit to state and national criminal checks.  District students employed by the school system are exempted from this requirement.

Workers placed in a school under a public assistance employment program shall also submit to the criminal check if such individuals will have direct contact with students.

Legal Reference:  Connecticut General Statutes

10-221d Criminal history records checks of school personnel. Fingerprinting. Termination or dismissed. (as amended by PA 01-173)

Policy adopted:  April 19, 2004

Personnel – Certified/Non-Certified

Security Check/Fingerprinting

Each applicant for a position within the public school system shall be asked whether he/she has ever been convicted of a crime and whether there are any criminal charges pending against him/her at the time of application.  Each person hired by the school system shall be required to submit to state and national criminal record checks.  In order to process such record checks, the following procedure will be followed:

1.  No later than ten calendar days after the Superintendent or his/her designee has notified a job applicant of a decision to hire the applicant, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the Superintendent or his/her designee will supply the applicant with a packet containing all documents and materials necessary for the applicant to be fingerprinted by the Regional Service Center.  This packet shall also contain all documents and materials necessary for the Regional Service Center to submit the completed fingerprints to the State Police Bureau of Identification for the processing of state and national criminal record checks.

2.  No later than ten calendar days after the Superintendent or his/her designee has provided the successful job applicant with the fingerprinting packet, the applicant must arrange to be fingerprinted.  Failure of the applicant to have his/her fingerprints taken within such ten-day period, without good cause, will be grounds for the withdrawal of the offer of employment.

3.  Any person for whom criminal records checks are required to be performed pursuant to this policy must pay all fees and costs associated with the fingerprinting process and/or the submission or processing of the requests for criminal record checks.

4.  Upon receipt of a criminal record check indicating a previously undisclosed conviction, the Superintendent or his/her designee will notify the affected applicant/employee in writing of the results of the record check and will provide an opportunity for the affected applicant/ employee to respond to the results of the criminal record check.

5.  Decisions regarding the effect of a conviction upon an applicant/employee, whether disclosed or undisclosed by the applicant/employee, will be made on a case-by-case basis.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the falsification or omission of any information on a job application or in a job interview, including, but not limited to information concerning criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, shall be grounds for disqualification from consideration for employment or discharge from employment.

6.  Adult education teachers, substitute teachers and Board approved volunteers, if they are continuously employed or engaged by the district, do not have to be refingerprinted after fulfilling the initial requirement.

Legal Reference:  Connecticut General Statutes

10-221d Criminal history records checks of school personnel. Fingerprinting. Termination or dismissed.

Regulation approved:  April 19, 2004