RI H7356

Requires school districts, charter schools, nonpublic schools, and contracted service providers to conduct criminal background checks and verify employment history for any position involving regular contact with students

Applicants must disclose their current employer and all former school or child-contact employers from the past 20 years, along with written statements regarding any child abuse or sexual misconduct investigations, discipline, resignations during investigations, or license suspensions

Rhode Island employers must respond to employment verification requests within 20 days; for out-of-state employers who fail to respond, hiring entities must document diligent efforts to verify history through alternative sources including tax returns, licensing agencies, and former supervisors

Applicants who willfully provide false information or fail to disclose required information face termination or denial of employment and civil penalties up to $500

Hiring entities must prohibit applicant access to students if verification raises character or fitness concerns until a final investigation clears the applicant of all possible past wrongful conduct