The safety of its students is of paramount importance to the District. Consistent with this concern for student safety, and in compliance with Florida law, the District requires that, prior to initial employment or re-employment if there has been a break in service, all candidates for all positions shall be subject to a criminal background check to determine eligibility for employment.

The application for employment shall inform the applicants that they are subject to criminal background and employment history checks.

Fingerprints of candidates for employment or re-employment if there has been a break in service shall be submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for Statewide criminal and juvenile records checks and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for Federal criminal records checks. A person who is found ineligible for employment under F.S. 1012.315, or otherwise found through background screening to have been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude as defined by rule of the State Board of Education, shall not be employed, engaged to provide services, or serve in any position that requires direct contact with students. Probationary persons subject to this section who are terminated because of their criminal record have the right to appeal such decisions.

Individuals whose fingerprints have not been retained by the FDLE must be re-fingerprinted and re-screened upon re-employment or re-engagement to provide services as an instructional staff member in order to comply with the law.

Furthermore, before employing instructional personnel in any position that requires direct contact with students, the Superintendent shall conduct employment history checks of each of the candidate's previous employer(s), screen the candidate through use of the educator screening tools described in F.S. 1001.10(5), and document the findings. If unable to contact a previous employer, the Superintendent shall document efforts to contact the employer (F.S. 1012.27(6)).

Pursuant to State law, all instructional staff members employed by the District must self-report arrests for serious offenses (see AP 3121.01).

Additionally, the fingerprints of all instructional staff members who are employed by the District and have no break in service must be re-submitted to the FDLE and to the FBI every five (5) years so that subsequent Statewide criminal and juvenile records checks and Federal criminal records checks can be completed as required by law.

The cost of this subsequent background screening will be borne by the Board.

The information contained in reports received from the FDLE and the FBI is confidential.

Although permissible by State law, the District will not share information received as the result of the criminal history background check with other school districts.

Furthermore, if information received as a result of the criminal history records check indicates that a certificated instructional staff member has been convicted of certain crimes enumerated by law, the Superintendent must report this information to the Florida Department of Education per Policy 8141 - Mandatory Reporting of Misconduct by Certificated Employees.