Background Checks

Texas is in the process of creating a state-wide database of teachers. When background checks became mandatory for new teachers in 2003, employees hired before 2003 were exempt.

A new law took effect January 1, 2008 that requires background and fingerprint checks for every district employee, whether or not a previous check was done. The state is randomly selecting districts and fingerprinting and conducting the checks. The checks must be completed by Sept. 1, 2011.

NEISD (June 25, 2008 Source: WOAI 1200 radio) The North East Independent School District in San Antonio released the results of their numbers.

Of the 6,575 employees tested, roughly 4.2%, including 125 support employees, 138 teachers, and 17 administrators came up positive for misdemeanors ranging from drunk driving to public drunkenness to hot check writing.

The district says four employees came up positive for felonies, and three have left the NEISD, and a fourth is under investigation.

School districts have taken different tactics in releasing the information to the public. Some, like the San Antonio School District, released specific numbers of employees who have a history of different types of offenses.

North East simply released the number of employees who came up positive and the list of offenses. The Austin ISD has refused to release any information, and has sued the Attorney General in an effort to keep the information under wraps.

SCUCISD (June 25, 2008 Source: KSAT.com) Officials with the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District released the results of its nearly 1,000 tests Wednesday. Of the 946 employees tested, there were 68 previous arrests including two for felony offenses.

District officials said one of those felony arrests have been investigated and appropriate action was taken against a substitute teacher and the second felony arrest resulted in a case dismissal.
The number of arrests from both districts do not necessarily include convictions.

SAISD (June 11, 2008 Source: KSAT.com) San Antonio Independent School District - School district spokeswoman said offenses were found for 291 of the district’s more than 3,000 teachers. Offenses were found for about 47 of the district’s more than 950 administrators, the spokeswoman said. The district emphasized that the the numbers are for arrests, and don’t necessarily mean there were convictions following the charges. Two two school district employees already resigned during the fingerprinting process, and some substitute teachers who showed hits will no longer sub for the district.
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AISD - Austin Independent School District - (May 13, 2008 Source: KVUE)
The district released only part of the database. KVUE filed an open records request for the rest and the Texas Attorney General directed the district to release the information.

As of February 28, 2008, with fewer than half the criminal histories reported, every high school makes this list. The top 5 -- Travis High School has 17 teachers, Akins High School with 13, Bowie and LBJ tie at 11 each and McCallum has 10.

But while Travis High School may top the list of schools, there is one place where more people with a criminal history work, The Carruth Administration Center, or AISD Headquarters. Some 18 people with a criminal history work inside the heart of this school district.

The news is not much better for middle schools. Fourteen of the 18 schools employ teachers with a criminal history. At Burnet Middle School, five teachers have a criminal history.
...

Take a close look at the statistics regarding elementary schools. With fewer than half the criminal histories reported, 50 of 77 schools make this list.

AISD summary PDF (found at KVUE)
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TT - entry (Jan 15, 2008) Teachers Upset in Austin
TT - entry (Dec 19, 2007) Taking safety seriously in Texas
TT - entry (Nov 27, 2008) Dallas Morning News investigation found 185 district employees who had felony criminal histories.
TT - entry (Nov 30, 2007) It won't be pretty
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.
TT- entry (Aug 4, 2007) Cleaning House
TT - entry (Mar 27, 2007) Senate Bill 9 School Safety Act passed.
TT - entry (Nov 27, 2006) Dallas Morning News Investigation.

Texas Education Agency (TEA) on the program.

Background Checks

March 7, 2008 - The Philadelphia Inquirer has an article on tougher checks for school personnel and legislation advocated by PA School Watch founder and executive director Tina Tranauskas.

PA School Watch is actively working with legislators to create background checks for all current Pennsylvania teachers who have been exempted in the past, fingerprinting of everyone who works with children, and notification when an educator is arrested.

Under current law, school employees, student teachers, and outside vendors working in schools who were hired before April 1, 2007, are not required to be fingerprinted. The fingerprints of new and prospective employees are not kept, and law enforcement agencies are not required to notify schools of employee arrests.

Links to the bills are provided.
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TT - PA School Watch does more than publicize teacher misconduct. The non-profit actively works with legislators to reform education, educating them on the problems and working to find solutions. It's a model organization that every state could use.

Austin, TEXAS

Jan 15, 2008 - According to a Keyetv 42 report, "Teachers upset about fingerprinting."

A new law requires all certified employees of Texas school districts to submit to a national background check by giving a fingerprint.Some teachers say while they aren't against keeping predators away from children, they are opposed to the practice of fingerprinting.

District employees have 80 days to comply with the new fingerprinting law. A few teachers said they are looking into what would happen if they refuse to do it on the grounds it violates their civil liberties.

TT - It's a new law. The new law, which took effect Jan. 1, requires all certified teachers and substitutes to be fingerprinted by Sept. 1, 2011. Even if they've already been fingerprinted, educators will have to undergo the $52.20 procedure again when they are notified so their information can be entered into a statewide registry. School employees who don't comply risk losing their teaching certification. TT - Link The state pays for the costs.

Every new teacher in Texas has had to undergo criminal background checks and fingerprinting since 1989. However, teachers who were convicted of criminal offenses after they were employed have not been reporting the convictions to their school district or the Texas Education Agency.

The registry that could be a model for a nationwide registry.

It's pretty obvious that the teacher who was quoted was spouting the union view.

Before the new law went into effect, Texas only required checks for those certified since 2003.

Background Checks

Taking safety seriously in Texas.

Dec 19, 2007 - Beginning Jan 1st, the Texas Education Agency will randomly select school districts and give educators 80 days to get fingerprinted for criminal background checks.

The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires all certified teachers and substitutes to be fingerprinted by Sept. 1, 2011. Even if they've already been fingerprinted, educators will have to undergo the $52.20 procedure again when they are notified so their information can be entered into a statewide registry. School employees who don't comply risk losing their teaching certification.

The new law also teachers who are found to have been convicted of certain felonies to lose their state certification. Some teacher advocates are concerned that teachers could lose their jobs when the background checks reveal old, minor offenses.

The state is paying for the fingerprinting and background checks for those employeed full-time for the 2006-07 school year. Once teacher's names are entered into the state clearinghouse, districts will be automatically notified if an employee is arrested.

Gilbert, ARIZONA

Trust your children to us. We're careless.

Apr 9, 2007 - As a result of the arrest of Jeremy Ross Calvert, the Higley Unified School District is considering a policy to require people in supervised, non-certified positions to be fingerprinted as a hiring stipulation. They will vote on the issue on Apr 11.

District administration conducted an internal audit after Mr. Calvert’s arrest, in which the district discovered 53 employees — who were required to have fingerprint clearance cards because they were not supervised — had not followed through with fingerprinting.

TT - Calvert

Phoenix, ARIZONA

See if this makes sense to you.
Jan 30, 2007 - Some 52 teachers in the Phoenix Union High School District who were sent home from work in November because they did not have valid fingerprint clearance cards are back in their classrooms.

Since 2000, state law has required all teachers to have Arizona Department of Public Safety fingerprint clearance cards to be certified by the state Board of Education. Ultimately, teachers are responsible for keeping their fingerprint clearance cards up to date.

Some districts, as a service, do monitor expiration dates and remind teachers when they are coming due. The cards are valid for six years and cost $52.

While the teachers were unavailable, as many as a half-dozen teachers were missing from each of the city's 11 high schools, and substitute teachers cost the district $25,000 a week.