Fingerprinting
In August of 2002, the Arizona legislature, in
special session, enacted new fingerprinting requirements for charter
schools. The Governor signed into law Senate Bill 1008 which amends
A.R.S. 15-183 and requires
all persons who directly engage in instructional work as a
classroom, laboratory or other teacher or indirectly as a supervisory
teacher, speech therapist or principal to possess a valid
Fingerprint Clearance Card (FCC). Please note persons subject to this
law "shall have a valid fingerprint clearance card." There is no
provision for an extension while the FCC application is being processed or
because the FCC has expired (for exception, see the link below to FCC
Guidance for Schools - 2005 Changes).
All other charter school persons must be fingerprinted pursuant to the laws
associated with fingerprinting of non-certificated personnel (A.R.S.
15-512). You will need to determine which fingerprinting process must be
conducted, the Fingerprint Clearance Card or the criminal history check,
depending on the position held by the person.
If
you would like to obtain a copy of this statute, you can find it on the
Arizona Legislative web site at
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ars/15/00183.htm.
Beginning October 1, 2003,
there will be a single Fingerprint Clearance Card rather than Class 1 and Class
2 cards. A first-time applicant must meet the criminal history qualifications
for a Class 1 card, unless he or she receives a good cause exception from the
Board of Fingerprinting. Employees who currently hold a valid Class 2 card will
not need to reapply. Those cards will remain valid until the expiration date
printed on their card.
Also, beginning October 1,
2003, all Fingerprint Clearance Cards issued will be valid for six years,
instead of three.
To
help ensure that each charter school understands how to implement these new
provisions of the law, we have listed specific bulleted information on
obtaining, submitting, and verifying information on both fingerprinting
processes. In addition, we have provided you with a frequently asked
questions page.
Please be aware
that each charter school has a statutory requirement with timelines to make sure
that all persons have complied with the necessary fingerprinting process. As
sponsors, both the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools and the State Board
of Education take this issue very seriously and will vigorously monitor each
school’s compliance.
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