BLOG

To help protect students, New York introduced a bill that requires fingerprinting and background checks for every school employee.

About The Bill

The New York Senate approved Bill 3335 (SB3335). It stipulates that all non-public and private elementary and secondary schools must require job seekers to authorize/pass a fingerprinting and criminal background check before they can be hired.

The State Commissioner is creating a form for educational facilities to use during the hiring process. It asks the candidate to provide consent for a background screening and explains how any information returned could be used. If this bill is signed by the Governor, it would update hiring policies for every potential school employee in New York.

According to the bill, an employee is defined as: “any prospective employee of a nonpublic or private elementary or secondary school or employee of a contracted service provider or worker placed within such school under a public assistance employment program for the provision of services to such school, its students or employees, directly or through contract, whereby such services performed by such person involve direct student contact.”

The goal of this bill is to create stronger protections for students. One news source reported that the idea for the bill came from a terrifying situation in New Orleans. Allegedly, a teacher with two indecent exposure convictions was hired to work with children. No background check was run on him, so the school remained unaware of the individual’s criminal history and status as a registered sexual offender.

SB3335 seeks to ensure that nothing like this can occur in New York. Read the text of this bill.

Background Checks Are A Security Tool

Employers run background checks for many reasons. One of the most important is to watch for serious criminal records. Hiring someone who has violent or sexual convictions cwould unnecessarily put your customers, employees and the public at risk.

If your organization hired someone who had a serious conviction, like the teacher in New Orleans, it would lead to questions about your safety protocols. Running background checks shows you are performing due diligence and taking steps to avoid hiring risky candidates.

Every background check can be customized to better suit the position for which you are hiring. For example: if a potential employee would work with children or another vulnerable population, then it is essential to run a comprehensive suite of criminal checks. This includes county, state and national searches as well as searches on sex offender registries.

When You Are Hiring

Before you bring on a new employee, contractor or volunteer, have them authorize a background screening. This protects you, your brand, your employees and the people you serve. Hiring someone with a serious criminal history could lead to a loss of trust in your organization as well as potential legal repercussions.

When you ready to hire, please contact us. Our team is well-trained at creating background check packages for every type of position. We are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 5am to 6pm PT.