Oregon Department of Education
Chapter 581
Division 21
SCHOOL GOVERNANCE AND STUDENT CONDUCT
581-021-0512
Non-employment criminal background checks for school districts
(1) School districts that have volunteers that have direct unsupervised contact with students shall have a policy requiring those volunteers to undergo a criminal records check.
(2) State criminal records check based on name and DOB:
(a) A school district may submit a request to the Oregon Department of Education for an in-state criminal records check in LEDS based on name and DOB on any volunteer.
(b) State criminal records check requests made under this section shall:
(A) Use forms provided by the Oregon Department of Education;
(B) Include an authorization from the volunteer for the Oregon Department of Education to perform a criminal records check; and
(C) Include payment of the processing fee of $5 per person to be checked.
(3) State and national criminal records check based on fingerprints:
(a) A school district may submit a request to the Oregon Department of Education for a fingerprint-based criminal records check for volunteers identified in local board policy as requiring a fingerprint-based criminal records check.
(b) Requests for fingerprint-based criminal records checks shall be submitted electronically through the statewide vendor identified by DAS. Exemptions from this requirement may be granted by the Oregon Department of Education on an individual basis. Reasons for exemption include, but are not limited to, geographic location and ability of vendor to meet needs. School districts exempted from the electronic process shall submit fingerprint information on forms provided by the Oregon Department of Education;
(c) A fee shall be established by the department, reviewed annually, and commensurate to cost changes to Oregon State Police or Federal Bureau of Investigation fee schedules and other costs associated with acquiring and furnishing criminal offender information. The fee shall be:
(A) Deducted from the SSF payment for school districts that receive SSF payments; or
(B) Invoiced to school districts that do not receive SSF payments.
(d) A fingerprint-based criminal records check conducted in accordance with this section will be a state and national check through the Oregon State Police and the FBI.
(4) The Oregon Department of Education shall review the criminal records when a request is made under section (2) or (3) of this rule, make a fitness determination, and notify the school district of that determination.
(a) A volunteer does not meet the fitness standards of this rule if the individual has:
(A) A conviction for any of the crimes listed in ORS 342.143, or the substantial equivalent of any of those crimes if the conviction occurred in another jurisdiction or in Oregon under a different statutory name or number; or
(B) Knowingly made a false statement.
(b) The Oregon Department of Education shall not provide copies of criminal records to anyone except as provided by law.
(5) Notwithstanding the fitness determination made by the Oregon Department of Education pursuant to this rule, a school district may allow a volunteer that has undergone a criminal records check to have direct, unsupervised contact with school children.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 326.051
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 326.607
History:
ODE 18-2023, amend filed 07/28/2023, effective 07/28/2023
ODE 24-2022, amend filed 05/02/2022, effective 05/02/2022
ODE 40-2021, temporary amend filed 12/29/2021, effective 12/29/2021 through 06/26/2022
ODE 22-2019, adopt filed 06/25/2019, effective 06/25/2019