A new law that requires fingerprinting goes into effect in January in Texas.
And it won't be pretty.
Nov 29, 2007 - District tightening policy as fingerprint law draws near.
A new state law that requires school systems to fingerprint teachers and other employees for in-depth criminal background checks has some districts, including Dallas, wondering what to do when they learn people have lied about their past.The new law, dubbed the "fingerprinting bill," requires all teachers, administrators, counselors, librarians and other professionals, including substitute teachers, to submit their fingerprints to the Texas Education Agency, which will have them checked for any felonies or misdemeanors in their past.
The Dallas Independent School District estimates that it could have 200 to 300 employees who are living under assumed names to hide their criminal histories or who lied on their employment applications to conceal arrests that would have prohibited their hiring.
DISD's policy says such violators may be terminated. But a group of several district administrators, formed to implement the new law in DISD, wants to remove any option. The group will recommend that all violators be fired.
The fingerprint screenings for educators holding current state credentials - and all substitute teachers - must be conducted by Sept. 1, 2011.
A Dallas Morning News investigation last year found the Dallas Independent School District had a backlog of a year on background checks. In addition, the district hadn't been notifying the state of all educators with criminal histories.
