LDOE explains new fingerprint-based criminal background checks for certification; $25 department review fee eliminated

Paula Bells, identified in the meeting as "director of educator background financial" at the Louisiana Department of Education, presented an update on fingerprint-based criminal background checks (CBCs) required for educator certification.

Bells told the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that state law requires fingerprint-based background checks for school employment and that certification-related CBCs must be run through the Louisiana State Police's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information. She said employers should not substitute non-fingerprint third-party checks for the statutory fingerprint process.

"This is put in place due to a law, Louisiana revised statute 17 8.9," Bells said, describing the certification-specific requirement and the department's process for reviewing returned CBC results. She explained that LDOE checks whether a CBC is already on file; if not, the applicant receives an educator fingerprint packet and is directed to Identigo's website to schedule fingerprinting. Bell said results typically return within two to three hours and that LDOE staff perform a line-by-line review for disqualifying convictions before issuing what the department calls a "clear credential" on the certification record.

Key points from the presentation and Q&A: - Fingerprint channel and vendor: Certification CBCs must be run through the Louisiana State Police system; Identigo is the vendor used for scheduling and fingerprint capture. - Applicant fees and departmental fees: Bells said the department had planned a $25 credential-clearance review fee but has eliminated that fee. Applicants still pay the Identigo fingerprinting fee (about $55 in-state; higher if done out of state), and hard-card fingerprinting remains an option though LDOE discourages it because of longer turnaround. - Clear credential and monitoring: LDOE issues a "clear credential" on the certification record after review; the state police provide automated wrap-back reports if an educator has subsequent arrest activity. - Employer and certification roles: Bells said employer-run background checks for hiring are separate from certification CBCs. She acknowledged stakeholder frustration that applicants sometimes must pay for fingerprinting multiple times because fingerprints captured for employment and for certification use different service codes tied to distinct legal purposes and cannot be shared due to CJIS and federal restrictions. - Data retention and reuse: LDOE will accept a CBC already on file that was submitted to the department within the last five years. Otherwise, an applicant will need to complete the certification CBC process. - Turnaround and rejection rates: Bells said current LDOE processing aims for a one- to two-day turnaround on review and issuance of the clear credential where CBCs are returned; she said a ~3% rejection rate on prints has been observed (applicants are notified and can reschedule at no additional department charge if prints are rejected by the state police).

During questions a diocesan representative and others expressed concern about applicants paying twice for fingerprinting when a school system already ran an employment fingerprint. Bells explained federal CJIS rules and that separate service codes are required for employment versus certification purposes; she said LDOE had worked with the state police and legal counsel to clarify the policy and processing steps.

Ending: Bells said LDOE has issued several hundred clear credentials since the law's implementation and encouraged applicants to complete fingerprinting so the department can add the clear credential to the certification record; she offered to help districts obtain service codes and to provide technical assistance as needed.