Higley board hears first reads on fingerprinting and certification policies; trustees seek clearer tiering and waiver language

HIGLEY, Ariz. — The Higley Unified School District governing board took up first readings Tuesday of two personnel policies intended to align district practice with state law on fingerprinting and background checks.

Policy GDFA (classified staff fingerprinting) was presented as a revision to conform to changes referenced in the transcript as "15 5 12." Legal counsel and policy staff said the district’s proposed language aimed to clarify which volunteers must hold an IVP/fingerprint clearance card and suggested adding clearer tier‑1 language for volunteers who remain constantly supervised.

Trustees requested specific edits: Member Van Hook asked the administration to add statutory disclosure language (referenced as '15 5 09' in the meeting) reminding applicants to disclose certain convictions and to explicitly prohibit administrators from waiving fingerprint requirements except as state law permits. Policy presenter Miss Johnson and counsel agreed to revise the draft before the next reading.

The board also reviewed GCFC (certified staff fingerprinting and credential requirements). HR staff described processes for tracking IVP cards, renewal reminders and verification with the Department of Public Safety. Counsel noted that certified employees’ contracts already include IVP obligations and the policy draft provides a permissive structure for limited exceptions with administrative controls.

Trustees asked staff to tighten language on who may be granted temporary exceptions, to ensure the district’s processes cross‑reference multiple national/state databases, and to include explicit statements in policy about contractor/third‑party obligations when workers are on campus.