State law requires school board members to undergo criminal background checks within 30 days of election or appointment.
Incumbent school board members, who were reelected Nov. 3, will not have to undergo criminal background checks, according to NJDOE officials.
For additional information, contact the NJDOE Criminal History Review Unit at (609) 292-0507.
Under the law, board members who do not complete the fingerprinting process within the 30-day period following election will be declared ineligible to serve in office. According to the NJDOE, if a board member submits fingerprints within the 30-day period as required, he or she will be able to take their seat on the board in January, regardless of any delay by the vendor in the completion of the background check. If the completed criminal history review reveals conviction(s) for any of the offenses listed in the statute, the individual will be disqualified from office.
The Department of Education has advised that the criminal history background process should be initiated by newly-elected board members by Dec. 3, 2015.
To schedule an appointment, take the following steps
- Access the Criminal History Review Unit’s direct web address to begin the process. The web address is:http://www.nj.gov/education/educators/crimhist. Click on “File Authorization and Make Electronic Payment for Criminal History Record Check.”
- Select Option #1: “New Administration Fee Request (New Applicants Only)” – Select the first option “All Job Positions, except School Bus Drivers and Bus Aides, for Public Schools, Private Schools for Students with Disabilities and Charter Schools.)
- Complete the requested applicant information (to include the county/district/school/contractor code names furnished to you by your district) and proceed to the Legal Certification. In order to continue with the electronic payment process, read and accept the terms of the Applicant Authorization & Certification (AA&C) by checking the box.
- Please complete the required payment information. There is a $10.00 administrative fee for the department to process the request and issue an approval letter. There will also be an additional $l.00 convenience fee charged by the private vendor, NicUSA for processing the credit card information.
- After completing the transaction, you will be presented with three required steps:
- View and/or print your New Administration Fee Payment Request confirmation page
- Complete and/or print your IdentoGO NJ Universal Fingerprint Form
- Click to schedule your fingerprinting appointment with MorphoTrust
- Select the first option “View and/or print your New Administration Fee Payment Request confirmation page” and print a copy of the receipt by clicking the print button in the upper right corner of the page.
- Next select the second option “Complete and/or print your IdentoGO NJ Universal Fingerprint Form” to complete the IdentoGO NJ Universal Fingerprint Form. After the form is complete, you must click on the “Submit” button at the bottom of the page. When the form has been submitted, you must view and print the IdentoGO NJ Fingerprint Form and present it to MorphoTrust at the time of LiveScan fingerprinting.
- Access the MorphoTrust web page by selecting the third option “Click here to schedule your fingerprinting appointment with MorphoTrust” to schedule a fingerprinting appointment and submit to LiveScan Fingerprinting.
If you have previously submitted to a criminal background check…
School board members who underwent criminal background checks for employment in another New Jersey school district after Feb. 21, 2003 will have their fingerprints on file. However, they must complete an abbreviated online application process for a fee of $32.
- Go to the NJDOE Criminal History Review webpage.
- Select “ File Authorization and Make Electronic Payment For Criminal History Record Check.”
- Select the second link, “Archive Application Request,” and follow the directions.
Contact the NJDOE Criminal History Review Unit at (609) 292-0507 for additional information.