Fingerprinting

RE: MGL Chapter 459 of the Acts of 2012 “An Act Relative to Background Checks”

Everyone employed by the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District is obliged to comply with the requirement of Chapter 459 of the Acts of 2012, "An Act Relative to Background Checks". This law, codified as an amendment to MGL c. 71 § 38R, requires that everyone employed by a Massachusetts school district who may have “direct and unmonitored contact with children” submit to “a state and national fingerprint-based criminal background check.” All school employees, including administrators, teachers, long- or short-term substitutes, tutors, coaches, paraprofessionals, administrative assistants, custodial staff, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers, who work in the schools, are required to complete the new fingerprint-based state and national background check.

CORI checks, which also are mandatory, have no associated fee for employees. There is, though, a fee for running the national fingerprint-based checks. The fee currently is $55 for school employees licensed under Section 38G (DESE-licensed individuals employed as educators and specialists, and any other employee who holds DESE licensure, regardless of her/his position) and $35 for all others. Payment of the fee is the responsibility of the individual employee.

On our District’s website, www.stgrsd.org you will find the SAFIS Program Registration Guide for Pre-K12th Grade Education (ESE), as well as the SAFIS-FORM-004, How to Change, Correct, or Update your national Criminal History Record Response paperwork.

Please go to http://www.identogo.com/FP/Massachusetts.aspx or phone (866) 349-8130 to schedule your appointment. You will be required to provide the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District’s Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (ESE) Organization Code: 07660000. (Substitutes, interns, student teachers, and subcontractors, may provide up to 10 district organization codes to eliminate the need to pay the fee multiple times).

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Betsy Tetreault in Human Resources at 413.569.5391 x.2607.

Sincerely,
Jennifer C. Willard
Superintendent of Schools

Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District