Thousands of NISD employees to be fingerprinted
NISD Communications Department
February 22, 2008
NISD began the massive undertaking this week of fingerprinting more than 6,000 certified educators and employees to comply with Senate Bill 9, passed by the state Legislature in 2007.
While school districts have conducted background checks of employees for years, this new law will require a more thorough, technologically-advanced process.
"I think we've been doing a good job with our background checks, and I don't think we'll find a lot of employees with criminal histories," Superintendent John Folks said earlier this week, after he became the first NISD employee to be digitally fingerprinted and photographed. "If we do find someone, we'll conduct an investigation and make a determination about what kind of action to take."
Yilsa De Los Santos, a kindergarten/bilingual teacher at Driggers Elementary School, was also among the first employees to be fingerprinted.
"I'm on board with this," she said while waiting in line. "Anything that will help ensure the safety of the students and the staff is great."
De Los Santos is also the mother of a 4-year-old who attends Leon Valley Elementary.
"And as a parent, it's an added peace of mind," she said.
The State Board for Educator Certification already has emailed NISD employees who must be fingerprinted. The state will cover the cost of fingerprinting for all certified educators who were employed full time during the 2006-07 school year. New employees hired after Jan. 1 must pay the state for the $52.20 fee themselves.
Employees who are unsure whether they need to be fingerprinted should call SBEC customer service at (888) 863-5880.
Mobile vans from LI Identity Solutions, a company hired by the state, will travel from campus to campus over the next four months to fingerprint employees. There have been technical difficulties with the fingerprinting equipment this week, and the state is working with L1 Identity Solutions to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Campuses will get at least two days notice before the mobile van arrives, said Rick Gardner, Director of Auxiliary/Classified Personnel. Employees should check with their supervisor to find out when fingerprinting is scheduled for their campus or department.
RSS 2.0 NISD News Feed
View News Archives
Printer Friendly