Workplace Screening and Fingerprinting

WORKPLACE SCREENING

The School District of Indian River County is a Drug Free Workplace and requires all individuals hired by the School Board to be free of alcohol and controlled substances. All job applicants offered a position with the School Board will be required to submit to a workplace screening.

Prospective employees must pay processing fees based upon the type of position that the employee will hold with the District. These fees should not be paid until an offer of employment has been received. The fees are as follows:

Prospective employees for the Department of Transportation and selected Maintenance positions: $34.75 (positions requiring Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) such as bus drivers and heavy equipment operators)
All others prospective employees: $31.90 (positions that DO NOT require CDL processing)

The procedures for the workplace screening are as follows:

Prospective employees shall report to the Department of Human Resources for new employee processing and workplace screening between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. as scheduled by departmental personnel when notified that a position is being offered.
Payment may be made by check or money order payable to the School District of Indian River County. No credit cards or cash will be accepted.
Applicants paying for both Workplace Screening ($31.90) and the FDLE Retention Fee for fingerprinting ($24.00) at the same time may present one check or money order payable to the School District of Indian River County for a total of $55.90.
An applicant's refusal to submit to the pre-employment screening shall constitute a basis for rescinding the offer of employment.
Any individual who tests positive for controlled substances will be considered not qualified for employment with the School District and will not be eligible for employment for one (1) year from the date of the test.

FINGERPRINTING

The School District of Indian River County is committed to keeping our students and staff members safe. In compliance with the Jessica Lunsford Act signed into law on May 2, 2005, background check requirements have been expanded to include all contracted workers and consultants as well as employees. In addition, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has implemented a database to track arrests of school district employees and contractors and notify the school districts when an employee is arrested. This new tracking system helps ensure that students and staff in our schools remain safe.

All employees, volunteers, student teaching interns, vendors, consultants and contractors must be fingerprinted and undergo a Level II background check. Everyone who will be at a school when students are present or who will have direct contact with students must complete the background screening. See below for more specific information on appropriate fees and items to bring with you when you are printed.

General Fingerprinting Information:

ALL newly hired employees will be responsible for paying fees for fingerprinting. These fees should not be paid until employment has been officially offered.
All fingerprinting must be completed through the Fingerprint Specialist with the School District by appointment only.
Fingerprint reports from outside agencies will not be accepted.
Fingerprints must be kept current and are required to be updated every five years.
Any break in service will require individuals to be re-fingerprinted at their cost.
Contact Ms. Nicola Blanton, Fingerprint Specialist, at nicki.blanton@indianriverschools.org or (772) 564-3024 to schedule an appointment.

Fingerprinting Fees and Procedures:

Fingerprinting fees and specific procedures are based on the type of relationship that each person has with the School District. Each person should follow the procedures for the appropriate category as listed below:

1. New Prospective Certified Staff (Administrators, Teachers and Athletic Coaches)

2. New Prospective Non-Certified Employees (Support, Transportation, Food Service, etc.)

3. Charter School Employees

4. Contractors/Vendors

5. Volunteers, Mentors, 1 to 1 Tutors

6. Chaperones

7. Athletic Coaches

8. Adult Education Medical Academy Students

9. Student Observers

10. Student Interns

11. Indian River County Recreation Department Coaches

12. Extended Day/21^st Century Grants Workers

13. Student Workers

1. New Prospective Certified Staff (Administrators, Teachers and Athletic Coaches):

New employees are responsible for prepaying fingerprinting fees. These fees should not be paid until employment has been officially offered by Department of Human Resources personnel. The total charge for fingerprinting is $81.25 which must be paid in two parts as follows:

· $57.25 - the FDLE and FBI portion of the fingerprinting fees should be paid by credit card (VISA or MasterCard) at https://www.cogentid.com/fl/index_fdoe.htm. From the Registration menu, click on “Register Online” as follows:

On the Applicant Registration page which will open after you click, select Indian River in the County field, then select “FL931311Z - INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SCHOOLS /FDOE CERT” in the second field. Complete the rest of the registration page.

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

Applicants without credit cards may also pay by bringing a money order ONLY payable to 3M Cogent to their fingerprint appointment. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted at the School District Office for this portion of the fingerprinting fee.

· $24.00 – the fee for retaining fingerprints on file for five years until they must be updated or renewed. This fee is payable by check or money order to the School District of Indian River County or SDIRC. No cash or credit cards will be accepted for this portion of the fee.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

· See New Hire Procedures for the next steps in the hiring process.

2. New Prospective Non-Certified Employees (Support, Transportation, Food Service, etc.)

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

· See New Hire Procedures for the next steps in the hiring process.

3. Charter School Employees:

Fingerprinting fees for new charter school employees must be prepaid before scheduling an appointment for fingerprinting. New charter school employees should discuss payment arrangements with charter school staff to determine how the fees will be paid. These fees should not be paid until employment has been officially offered by the charter school. The total charge for fingerprinting is $81.25 which must be paid as follows:

For Non-Certified Charter School Staff:

For Certified Charter School Staff:

On the Applicant Registration page which will open after you click, select Indian River in the County field, then select “FL931311Z - INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SCHOOLS /FDOE CERT” in the second field. Complete the rest of the registration page.

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

4. Contractors/Vendors:

All contractors/vendors who will be working at schools when students are present are responsible for prepaying fingerprinting fees. The total charge for fingerprinting is $81.25 which must be paid as follows:

· $81.25 the FDLE and FBI portion of the fingerprinting fees should be paid by credit card (VISA or MasterCard) at https://www.cogentid.com/fl/index_fdoe.htm. From the Registration menu, click on “Register Online” as follows:

On the Applicant Registration page which will open after you click, select Indian River in the County field, then select “FL931312Z – INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SCHOOLS/CONTRACTORS & VENDORS” in the second field. Complete the rest of the registration page.

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

Applicants without credit cards may also pay by bringing a money order ONLY for $81.25 payable to 3M Cogent to their fingerprint appointment. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted at the School District Office for the fingerprinting fee. Contractor/vendor fingerprints are retained in the FDLE state-wide database and must be updated or renewed every five years.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

5. Volunteers, Mentors, 1 to 1 Tutors:

The School District of Indian River County deeply appreciates the many thousands of hours that our volunteers donate to assist our teachers and students. However, in the interest of keeping our students and staff safe, fingerprinting is required for all volunteers, mentors, or tutors who may be alone with a child.

· Volunteers, mentors, or tutors must complete a “School Volunteer Registration Form” (click on title of form) and be approved by the principal or director at the location where they wish to volunteer. The form can be found on the District website.

· Volunteers working in a group setting who will not be alone with a child or who is not working with a student 1 on 1 do not have to be fingerprinted.

· Notification of volunteer approval must be sent by the school to the Fingerprint Services Office in advance of the fingerprinting appointment. Volunteers should check with the school to determine if the approval has been sent before scheduling an appointment to be fingerprinted.

· Approved volunteers, tutors, and mentors who may be alone with a child must undergo a background check and be fingerprinted at their own expense as follows:

Ø $57.25 - the FDLE and FBI portion of the fingerprinting fees should be paid by credit card (VISA or MasterCard) at https://www.cogentid.com/fl/index_fdoe.htm. From the Registration menu, click on “Register Online” as follows:

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

Applicants without credit cards may also pay by bringing a money order ONLY for $57.25 payable to 3M Cogent to their fingerprint appointment. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted at the School District Office for this portion of the fingerprinting fee.

· Fingerprint reports ARE NOT retained on volunteers and must be renewed on an annual basis at each individual’s expense.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

6. Chaperones (Daily and Overnight):

Without the help of volunteer chaperones, many field trips that provide a valuable educational experience for students would not be possible. In order to help ensure that District-sponsored field trips result in safe and rewarding experiences for all participants, Florida law requires that the District conduct a criminal background check of all chaperones who may have unsupervised access to students

· Chaperones must complete a “Field Trip Application (Chaperone)” (click on title of form) and be approved by the principal or director at the location where they wish to chaperone. The form can be found on the District website.

· Notification of chaperone approval must be sent by the school to the Fingerprint Services Office in advance of the fingerprinting appointment. Chaperones should check with the school to determine if the approval has been sent before scheduling an appointment for fingerprinting.

· Approved chaperones who may be alone with a child or who are chaperoning an overnight trip must undergo a background check and be fingerprinted at their own expense as follows:

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

· Applicants without credit cards may also pay by bringing a money order ONLY for $57.25 payable to 3M Cogent to their fingerprint appointment. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted at the School District Office for this portion of the fingerprinting fee.

· One-time chaperones that will not be alone with a child during a day trip do not have to be fingerprinted.

· Fingerprint reports ARE NOT retained on chaperones and must be renewed on an annual basis at each individual’s expense.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

7. Athletic Coaches:

Athletic coaches who receive supplements for coaching are considered employees of the District and are subject to all processing requirements for employment. If they do not hold a Florida educator’s certificate, they must also apply for a Florida Athletic Coaching certificate. More information can be found on the Certification website.

Those selected to receive coaching supplements are responsible for prepaying fingerprinting fees even if they are already employees of the District. These fees should not be paid until the supplemented position has been posted and the supplement has been officially offered by Department of Human Resources personnel.

The total charge for fingerprinting is $81.25 which must be paid in two parts as follows:

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

· Applicants without credit cards may also pay by bringing a money order ONLY payable to 3M Cogent to their fingerprint appointment. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted at the School District Office for this portion of the fingerprinting fee.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

· See New Hire Procedures for the next steps in the hiring process.

8. Adult Education Medical Academy Students

The Adult Education Program offers several medical training programs. Students in these programs are required to complete varying levels of background checks at their own expense. Procedures are as follows:

· Students must be currently enrolled in an Adult Education Medical Academy program and be working toward a certificate.

· The student’s name must be sent in writing by the program director to the Fingerprint Specialist.

· Phlebotomy, medical assisting, Certified Nurse Assistant, home health aides, and medical coding and billing students are only required to obtain an identification badge through the Fingerprint Services office. The charge for the badge is $6.00 payable by check or money order to the School District of Indian River County.

· Licensed practical nursing students must complete a background check and be fingerprinted at their own expense as follows:

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

Ø $24.00 – the fee for retaining fingerprints on file. This fee is payable by check or money order to the School District of Indian River County or SDIRC. No cash or credit cards will be accepted for this portion of the fee.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

9. Student Observers (Level I and Level II Practicum Students):

The School District of Indian River County works closely with surrounding colleges and universities to provide opportunities for students interested in teaching careers to participate in instructional activities as part of their educational program. In the interest of keeping our students and staff safe, fingerprinting is required for all student observers who may be alone with a child.

Procedures for the background checks for student observers are as follows:

· Student observers must be currently enrolled in a college or university and must be working toward a degree in education.

· The student observer’s name must be sent in writing by the college to the Staff Development Specialist for the District. The Staff Development Specialist determines the observation placement and notifies the Fingerprint Specialist that the student observer has qualified for fingerprinting.

· Approved student observers must undergo a background check and be fingerprinted at their own expense as follows:

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

Ø Applicants without credit cards may also pay by bringing a money order ONLY for $57.25 payable to 3M Cogent to their fingerprint appointment. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted at the School District Office for this portion of the fingerprinting fee.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

10. Student Interns:

Since student interns assume complete control of the classroom as they advance through their teaching internship and may often be one on one with individual students, they must complete both workplace screening and fingerprinting. Procedures are as follows:

· Student interns must be currently enrolled in a college or university and must be working toward a degree in education or a related field.

· The student intern’s name must be sent in writing by the college to the Staff Development Specialist for the District. The Staff Development Specialist determines where the student will be placed for the internship and notifies the Fingerprint Specialist that the intern has qualified for fingerprinting.

· Approved student interns must undergo both workplace screening (see instructions above) and a background check and be fingerprinted at their own expense as follows:

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

11. Indian River County Recreation Department

Through an interagency agreement, the School District of Indian River County completes background checks on volunteer community coaches for the Indian River County Recreation Department. All such coaches who will be working with children must be fingerprinted and are responsible for prepaying fingerprinting fees. The total charge for fingerprinting is $81.25 which must be paid as follows:

· $81.25 - the FDLE and FBI portion of the fingerprinting fees should be paid by credit card (VISA or MasterCard) at https://www.cogentid.com/fl/index_fdoe.htm. From the Registration menu, click on “Register Online” as follows:

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

· Applicants without credit cards may also pay by bringing a money order ONLY for $81.25 payable to 3M Cogent to their fingerprint appointment. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted at the School District Office for the fingerprinting fee. These fingerprints are retained in the FDLE state-wide database and must be updated or renewed every five years.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

12. Extended Day/21st Century Grants Workers

New extended day and 21^st Century Grant employees are required to complete workplace screenings, background checks and fingerprinting. Screening procedures are as follows:

· Positions are either posted through the Department of Human Resources or the program director notifies the Director of Human Resources identifying a new potential hire.

· The Director of Human Resources completes a reference check and approves/disapproves the person for hire. If approved, the person is told to report for employee processing and approval notification is sent to Fingerprint Services.

· Current District employees who are selected to work in the extended day programs do not have to be reprocessed.

· All new extended day/grant employees are responsible for prepaying fingerprinting fees. These fees should not be paid until employment has been officially offered by Department of Human Resources personnel.

· The total charge for fingerprinting is $81.25 which must be paid in two parts as follows:

On the Applicant Registration page which will open after you click, select Indian River in the County field, then select “FL931310Z - INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SCHOOLS” in the second field. Complete the rest of the registration page. Please Note: If you are expecting to complete requirements for your Florida Educator’s certificate within the next twelve months, select the second choice “FL93131Z – INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SCHOOLS/FDOE CERT.”

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

Ø $24.00 – the fee for retaining fingerprints on file for five years until they must be updated or renewed. This fee is payable by check or money order to the School District of Indian River County or SDIRC. No cash or credit cards will be accepted for this portion of the fee.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

· See New Hire Procedures for the next steps in the hiring process.

13. Student Workers

Sometimes our secondary schools hire students after school to assist with extra-curricular activities. Student workers or their parents pay the costs for fingerprinting and workplace screening as follows:

· Student workers must be at least 15 years of age and must currently be enrolled at the school where they will be working.

· The student worker must complete an online employment application on the District website and be recommended in writing by appropriate school personnel to the Director of Human Resources for the District.

· The Director of Human Resources checks references, verifies that the student meets District qualifications for student employment, and notifies Human Resources staff that the student is approved for processing.

· Approved student workers must undergo both workplace screening (see instructions above) and a background check and be fingerprinted at their own expense as follows:

On the Applicant Registration page which will open after you click, select Indian River in the County field, then select “FL931310Z - INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SCHOOLS” in the second field. Complete the rest of the registration page.

Be sure to print or write down your payment confirmation number to bring with you for fingerprinting.

· The Fingerprint Specialist notifies appropriate District personnel when clearance is received.

· See New Hire Procedures for the next steps in the hiring process.