APIE Background Check Policies 2010-2011



APIE Background Check Policies 2010-2011

Who needs a background check?

According to Austin ISD, all volunteers who participate on a school campus must submit to a criminal history background check. Background Checks are valid for 3 years. This includes mentors, partners, tutors and other volunteers.

There are three exceptions:

• Parents and grandparents who are only volunteering in their grand/child’s classroom.

• Volunteers who are only participating in one-time events.

• Visitors that will be constantly supervised by an Austin ISD employee.

How do volunteers submit to a background check?

Austin Partners in Education offers criminal history background checks at no charge for volunteers who participate in approved programs on an Austin ISD campus. Approval guidelines have been reviewed by the Austin ISD General Counsel.

Volunteers should:

1. Go to volunteer.

2. On the left color bar, choose their preferred school and click “Search”.

3. Click on the Name of the appropriate volunteer opportunity.

4. Input their e-mail address. Volunteers must submit a unique e-mail address to receive notice of the background check results.

NOTE: If a volunteer does not have an active e-mail address, they should input name.birthdate@ and a valid phone number.

Example: christin.122884@

a. If a volunteer’s e-mail address is already in the APIE system, they will be immediately signed up for the volunteer opportunity.

b. If a volunteer’s e-mail address is not in the APIE system, they should see a registration page and complete all required fields.

How long do background checks take?

Volunteers with no criminal history should receive an approval notice by e-mail within 2 business days. The Volunteer Contact can select to be copied on these approval e-mails.

If a volunteer has a criminal history, APIE will contact the volunteer directly by e-mail to request further information. If a volunteer does not respond within 1 week, APIE will contact the volunteer by phone. If a volunteer does not respond within 2 weeks or does not provide accurate contact information, he/she will be denied and a notice will be sent to the school.

What is AISD’s role in background checks?

Before allowing a volunteer to meet with students, your school MUST confirm that the legal name and birth date on the volunteer’s driver’s license, passport or other government-issued picture ID matches the information provided for the background check.

Because APIE uses an online background check system, it is essential that additional steps are taken to ensure the accuracy of the information used for the check. In situations where a picture ID was instrumental in determining that a background check result was attributable to the applicant, your school must verify that the ID used matches the ID presented in person.

APIE accepts no responsibility for misrepresentation or inaccurate information submitted during registration. It is the responsibility of the school to verify this information before allowing volunteers into your program.

What if information on an ID is different from information used for a background check?

If the information is inconsistent, please notify APIE so that a new background check can be processed. Requests for background check updates should be sent via email to Tam Vu at tvu@. Phone requests will not be accepted, and background check re-processing will take 2 business days to 2 weeks.

Please discuss any parent volunteers with your campus Volunteer Contact.

If you have any questions regarding background check policies or volunteer registrations, please contact Lindsey McBride, Campus and Community Engagement Manager at lmcbride@ or (512) 637-0983.

Appendix

Austin Partners in Education screens volunteers using the following

criminal history background databases:

I. 20 State Criminal Conviction Database

Alaska

Arkansas

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Iowa

Minnesota

Mississippi

New Jersey

North Carolina

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

II. Sex Offender Records from all 50 states & the District of Columbia

III. 39 Department of Correction Databases

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

Connecticut

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

IV: Additional 92 County Criminal Records Databases

Atoka County  

Beaver County  

Beckham County  

Bexar County  

Blaine County  

Brevard County  

Broward County  

Bryan County  

Caddo County  

Carter County  

Chambers County  

Charlotte County  

Cherokee County  

Collin County  

Cook County Felony

Cotton County  

Craig County  

Creek County  

Custer County  

Dallas County  

Delaware County  

Denton County  

Duval County  

El Paso County  

Fairfax County

Fort Bend County  

Garvin County  

Grant County  

Greene County  

Gregg County  

Harris County Felony

Haskell County  

Hillsborough County  

Hinds County

Hughes County  

Jefferson County  

Kay County  

Kingfisher County  

LA Bossier Parish

LA Caddo Parish

Latimer County

Le Flore County  

Leon County  

Lincoln County

Los Angeles County  

Major County  

Maricopa County  

Marshall County  

Mayes County

McClain County

McCurtain County

McIntosh County

Miami-Dade County  

Montgomery County

Murray County  

Muskogee County  

Noble County  

Nowata County

Okfuskee County

Okmulgee County

Orange County

Orange County (2)  

Osage County  

Osceola County  

Ottawa County  

Palm Beach County  

Pawnee County  

Pima County  

Pinellas County

Pittsburg County  

Pontotoc County  

Pottawatomie County Potter County  

Riverside County  

Sacramento County  

San Bernardino County Santa Barbara County

Santa Clara County  

Santa Cruz County  

Sedgwick County

Seminole County  

Sequoyah County

Stephens County  

Suwannee County

Texas County  

Travis County  

Victoria County

Wagoner County  

Washington County  

Washita County  

Williamson County  

Woods County

Criminal Background Check Guidelines

(Based on Austin ISD Standards)

All volunteers are required to submit to a criminal history background check before participating at an Austin ISD school. Parents and grandparents who are only volunteering in their student’s classroom and volunteers who are only participating in one-time events are not required to submit to a check.

Background checks will be renewed every 3 years for returning volunteers, unless otherwise requested.

Applicants may be denied if they meet any of the following criteria:

• Prior felony conviction or deferred adjudication of a felony offense.

• Prior conviction or deferred adjudication of a misdemeanor offense within the last 5 years involving moral turpitude (acts that are generally considered morally or ethically wrong) including but not limited to crimes that involve dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, deliberate violence, or offenses involving drugs or alcohol

• Felony or misdemeanor charges that are pending against the applicant involving offenses of moral turpitude or offenses involving drugs or alcohol

• Listing on Sexual Offenders Database

Factors that may be considered when circumstances require discretionary judgment:

Applicants may be asked to provide proof of identity by a copy of his/her driver’s license, contact information for 2 references and additional information regarding the offense before a judgment is made. Failure to respond within 2 weeks will result in an applicant being denied.

• Possibility of incorrect identity

← Applicant may provide evidence to support his/her identity status

← Applicants may request a copy of the record.

• Nature of the offense

← Severity and number of offenses

← Age of applicant at time of offense

← Pattern of conduct established by multiple offenses that may be detrimental to children

• Length of time since last arrest

← A clear record of 10 years or more may indicate good conduct.

← A single charge more than 10 years ago that could affect a mentoring relationship may result in an applicant’s referral to a supervised program.

• Effect of offense on mentor relationship

← A mentoring position may be denied if the applicant has committed an offense that may be detrimental to a one-on-one relationship but may be referred to a supervised or group program pending consideration of above factors.

• General guidelines

← Dismissed charges may be disregarded.

← A period of probation completed with no infractions may be disregarded depending on the severity of offense and consideration of above factors.

← Deferred adjudication or plea of no contest resulting in a probation term may be treated as a conviction and the decision may be made on the above factors.

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