H 240 - Criminal Background Checks/Schools

• Requires criminal background checks for all initial charter school board members before the State Board of Education grants final charter approval, with checks effective for applications received on or after October 1, 2021.

• Mandates criminal background checks for all applicants seeking professional educator licensure (teachers, administrators, student services personnel) before issuance of unconditional licenses, with applicants covering check costs unless a school board pays on their behalf.

• Expands the list of disqualifying crimes for school personnel to include drug possession or sale, alcohol-related offenses, and similar crimes under federal or other state laws, in addition to existing violent and moral turpitude offenses.

• Requires charter schools and public school boards to adopt policies for criminal history checks of employment applicants either through consumer reporting agencies or the Department of Public Safety, with checks required before unconditional job offers and applicants prohibited from refusing consent.

• Establishes that criminal history information obtained through these checks is confidential and not a public record, and may be destroyed after one calendar year for school employment purposes or after licensure ends for educator licensing purposes.