To more adequately safeguard students and staff members, the Board of Education requires an inquiry into the background of each applicant the Superintendent recommends for employment and each volunteer on the District's professional staff.

Such an inquiry shall also be made for substitutes who may be employed by the District. For substitutes only, the Superintendent may rely on certification from another local or intermediate school district that a report has been received from the State Police and that the individual has no criminal history.

The Superintendent shall establish the necessary procedures for obtaining from the Criminal Records Division of the State Police any criminal history on the applicant maintained by the State Police. In addition, the Superintendent shall request the State Police to obtain a criminal history records check from the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to Public Act 97.

An applicant must submit upon request, at no expense to the District, a set of fingerprints prepared by a State or local law enforcement agency as part of his/her employment application.

Should it be necessary to employ a person in order to maintain continuity of the program prior to receipt of the report, the Superintendent may employ the person on a provisional basis until the report is received.

Candidates with a criminal history will not automatically be disqualified from consideration for employment. The nature of the offense will be measured against the requirements of the job. Consideration will be given to the length of time lapsed since the offense, verifiable work history, as well as personal and professional references since the conviction. Candidates who do not disclose their entire criminal history may be disqualified from consideration for employment.

All information and records obtained from such inquiries are to be considered confidential and shall not be released or disseminated to those not directly involved in evaluating the applicant's qualifications, except the District may confirm to another district that a potential substitute does not have a criminal history, pursuant to a report received from the State Police. Violation of confidentiality is considered a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $10,000.

M.C.L.A. 380.1230a, 380.1535a, 1535, 380.1809
PA 83 of 1995

Revised 12/13/93
Revised 11/95
Revised 5/04