Board grants background-check waiver to applicant David Rollins after administration recommends approval
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Summary
The Little Rock School District board granted a background-check waiver on May 15 to David Rollins, a classified applicant who fully disclosed a 1988 conviction; staff said Arkansas Department of Education licensure counsel recommended waiver consideration under the circumstances.
The Little Rock School District Board of Directors voted on May 15 to grant a background-check waiver to classified applicant David Rollins after the administration presented documentation and recommended approval.
Staff told the board that Rollins had disclosed the prior conviction on his employment application and submitted supporting documents; the packet included a note from the Arkansas Department of Education licensure attorney indicating the conviction dated to Rollins’s military service in 1988 and stating the circumstances made him an appropriate candidate for waiver consideration. The administration recommended option 1 (grant the waiver) and the board approved the recommendation.
Rollins addressed the board briefly. He said the incident occurred while he was in his twenties and described raising children and serving in the military since then. “I was a single parent when this happened… Both of them went to college,” Rollins told board members as he asked for a chance to demonstrate his work.
Why it matters: The board may grant waivers when an applicant’s background would otherwise disqualify them; staff review and ADE guidance were cited as the basis for recommending approval.
Implementation: Human Resources will proceed with onboarding and placement per district practice. The board recorded the decision in the meeting minutes.
Authorities cited: staff referenced Arkansas Code § 6-17-414 (employee waiver hearings) and ADE licensure guidance in making the recommendation.
