Employment Background Check on Tap for School Board Members

A proposed bill in New Jersey would make it a requirement for all school board members to undergo an employment background check.

Bill A-444 has already been unanimously approved by the state Assembly and is now sitting before the Senate Education Committee. The bill was proposed by Assemblymen Jerry Green, Jack Conners, Herb Conaway Jr., and Jon M. Bramnick.

If approved, the bill would disqualify members from serving on a school board if they have been convicted of serious crimes, according to an article by NJ.com.

It also would require school board members to pay for the cost of their own background checks out of pocket or with campaign money. The New Jersey Department of Education states the checks usually cost about $80.

As there is currently no rule preventing someone with a conviction from serving on a school board, the new bill would serve as a way to expand the protections already offered by background checks required of other school workers who have regular contact with children.

The bill would give school board members 30 days to undergo a background check. Most background checks are handled by the New Jersey Department of Education's Office of Criminal History Review. Those checks, which are done by the state and FBI, are then processed through a private company.

The New Jersey School Boards Association supports the majority of the bill, but would prefer an option allowing school districts to pay for the background checks and the checks to be extended to all elected officials.