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We have an obligation to ensure that our employees/potential employees are not a threat to the safety of those in the educational community. Failure to meet this obligation may make us liable for negligent hiring and negligent retention litigation.
If information is revealed pertaining to any of the below areas, the district must determine if it disqualifies a candidate from employment for the job he/she will be asked to do. The action/offense should be applicable to the functions of the job. Consult your attorney with any questions in this area.
It is important to note that information gained through background checks is CONFIDENTIAL and should not be shared with those without direct responsibilities in the hiring process. In fact, there are criminal penalties for failure to adhere to standards of confidentiality with much of the below information.
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Iowa Criminal Background Check |
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Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation: A school official may obtain this information by mail, fax, or over the web. It requires a signed release from each search subject. There is a fee for each search I suggest districts include the signed release form as part of the application. THIS PROVIDES INFORMATION ON IOWA ARRESTS AND CONVICTIONS ONLY. For more information, phone the Iowa Department of Public Safety at 515-281-4776.
Iowa Courts Online: This web service provides free data about individual criminal histories of persons. To get additional detailed information, you may enroll as a registered user for $25.00 per month. Please note that the information gleaned from this source may NOT be complete as the counties in the state are still working to place this data in electronic format. Also, some information may be too new to be online.
Services for hire: some companies (for example, Per Mar) offer criminal background investigation services for a fee. One advantage to these services is that detailed information may be obtained for out of state information.
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Iowa Sexual Offender Registry Check |
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Complete a DCI-150 form to request information on whether or not a individual is listed on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry that is kept by the Iowa Department of Public Safety. This form is mailed to the local law enforcement office and then returned via the postal service. There are opportunities to access this information online. However, please note that the online information may not be as complete as desired.
The Iowa Sexual Offender Registry is available free on-line at http://www.iowasexoffender.com/. Also, several states' sexual offender registries are available at Google.com.
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Iowa Child Abuse Information Check |
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Complete a Department of Human Services “Request for Child Abuse Information” form to find out if a candidate is listed with DHS as having a founded child abuse case in his/her background. This information may be accessed via a fax transmission for a small fee ($2.00 per inquiry taken from an account you set up.) The information is typically faxed back to the requester within 2 or 3 days.
For more information, go to the Iowa Department of Human Services web site.
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- Go to the area marked "Organization" and select "Iowa Child Welfare Law" in the pop-up menu.
- Click on the "Click Here to Open" button.
- Click on the "Child Protection" button.
- Click on "Central Registry" link.
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To get registered to send/receive Child Abuse Registry information via fax, call 1-800-362-2178.
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Single Contact Repository (SING) |
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This is an online service. One goes to a web site and inputs information on an individual and BOTH the Criminal Background Check for the state of Iowa AND the Child Abuse Registry Check may be simultaneously requested and obtained. One must register with the Division of Criminal Investigation to receive this service.
Contact Nancy Loghry at the Division of Criminal Investigation in Des Moines at 515-281-6130 for more information. She will send out a packet of information regarding this opportunity.
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National Criminal Record Check |
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Through the 1993 National Child Protection Act (NCPA), a qualified entity may request FBI criminal history information on individuals. In Iowa, the FBI gives the requested information to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The Iowa DCI then filters the information to be shared with the qualified entity.
A qualified entity is a business or organization that provides care or care placement services, including a business or organization that licenses or certifies others to provide care or care placement services, treatment, education, training, instruction, supervision or recreation to children, the elderly or individuals with disabilities. To register as a qualified entity, a letter must be send to the DCI with the following information: organization name, address, phone number, fax number, contact person and a brief explanation of the organization’s mandate.
There is a $24.00 federal fee for national checks for employees and $18.00 for volunteers. This is in addition to the state fees for criminal background checks. Payment for both the state and federal check is made at the time of submission and the state sees that the federal government is paid. The published turn-around time on federal criminal histories is 15 business days, not including mailing time. However, there is a disclaimer that it may take longer than this.
For more information, contact the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 515-281-5501. |
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| The Step-by-Step Hiring Process |
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