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Background Checks for Child Service Professionals & Teachers

 

In the educational sector, teacher background checks typically rank among the most thorough of all employee background checks. They usually consist of the following:

  • Criminal background checks  – The majority of teacher and employee background checks include criminal history searches, whether at the county, state, or federal level. While other crimes, such as drug offenses, may also be considered red flags, schools look for a history of violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, or neglect. We at Hireshield offer the Platinum Level Search, which searches for sex offender registries along with criminal records from the United States and its territories.
  • Verification of education – Job applicants must have a teaching degree from an accredited college or university in order to become a licensed teacher. Verification of a teacher’s education is often part of school background checks to make sure the teacher’s claims about their education are true.
  • Checks on employment histories – Teacher background checks typically include an employment history check, just like most other employee background checks. Schools can use this background check to confirm a teacher’s resume-listed previous employment and gain a sense of the teacher’s professional experience. This background check would frequently reveal that information if a teacher had been terminated from a previous position for misconduct. Schools may also conduct reference checks to learn about a teacher’s teaching style, work ethic, and interactions with students from former employers or colleagues.

Federal law states that anyone working in a child care program as an employee or volunteer, anyone who cares for or supervises children, or anyone with unsupervised access to children is required to undergo a criminal background check.

All background checks must include a search of:

  • National Sex Offender Registry
  • State criminal and sex offender registries in every state the application has lived over the past five years
  • State child abuse and neglect registries in every state the applicant has lived over the past five years
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