Protecting Our Schools and Universities

Faculty – Volunteers – Contractors – Students

Universities, school districts, private schools, extra-curricular programs and other educational institutions should always be safe environments. Yet, they are among the most vulnerable targets for individuals who seek to take advantage of our most innocent and defenseless population—our children.

Schools are uniquely at risk because they grant access to numerous individuals—faculty (full-time, adjunct, and part-time), contractors, and volunteers—who serve in a variety of roles. Unfortunately, even one bad actor can cause lasting harm.

The Urgent Need for Safer Schools:

  • 11.7% of recent high school graduates reported experiencing educator sexual misconduct (by teachers or coaches) during their K–12 schooling.
    (Psychology Today, 2023)
  • In the 2021–22 school year, U.S. public schools recorded approximately 857,500 violent incidents and 479,500 non-violent incidents.
    (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024)

These statistics show why every school must take student protection and background screening seriously.

Education background checks, private schools, school districts, college and university background checks. Image of students walking on school grounds.

Why Fingerprinting Alone Is Not Enough

Some states require fingerprinting for school employees and volunteers, although fingerprint-based checks have major gaps. According to the National Employment Law Project (NELP):

  • Fingerprint databases are missing roughly 25% of all criminal records.
  • Only about 50% of records contain final disposition information.
  • Updates are often delayed due to budget cuts, limited staff, and processing backlogs.
  • Fingerprinting can be much more expensive than a private background check as well as not provide the same detailed information on reporting back.

Conclusion: fingerprinting is valuable if required —but insufficient. Schools need comprehensive, ongoing background screening from private background screening firms, even as a supplement, to truly protect students.  We can help you with a supplemental program.

Best Practices for School Background Screening:

  1. Partner with a Reliable Background Screening Firm

Choose a provider that offers accurate, compliant, and consultative services. Reliable Background Screening helps schools create custom packages that align with local and federal regulations, standardizing their program and providing high quality, fast turnaround time and accuracy.

  1. Implement Comprehensive Background Checks

A thorough check on faculty and volunteers should include:

  • County, federal, and national criminal searches
  • Alias name and address history searches
  • Sex offender registry checks
  • Motor vehicle reports (MVR)
  • Education and Employment Verifications (Primary Source Verification)
  • Social media screening to identify potential red flags such as violence, discrimination, or self-harm

Make sure to also include a scope of work that looks back at least seven (7) years (depending on state laws) where the candidate has lived.   A more thorough check starts with looking where the candidate has lived but also includes the counties where a candidate has “worked” for the past seven (7) years or as permitted by state law(s).

  1. Screen Everyone Who Enters Your Campus

Students, contractors, and volunteers should also be screened—especially if they have physical or digital access to children or school facilities.

  1. Continuous Monitoring and Re-Screening

One background check at hiring is not enough. Implement ongoing criminal monitoring and annual re-screening to maintain safety and compliance.  A low cost to a high value of protection to your school/university!  Reliable Background Screening has an excellent ongoing monitoring service at very low cost.

  1. Standardize Screening for Outside Vendors

If your school uses staffing agencies or third-party contractors, require them to follow your same background screening standards. A standardized screening program helps minimize liability and maintain consistent safety.  Reliable Background Screening provides extended workforce programs to protect your institution.

The Importance of Student Background Screening Today

Ensuring Safety on Campus
The primary reason for conducting student background screening is to maintain campus safety. Educational institutions have a duty of care to protect students, staff, and visitors. By identifying individuals with a history of violent behavior, sexual misconduct, or other criminal activity before they are admitted, start an internship, externship, athletic scholarship, etc. – schools can prevent potential incidents and reduce institutional liability. This proactive approach reinforces a secure and trustworthy environment for everyone.

Common searches conducted for student background screening include:

  • County and Federal Criminal Court Information
  • National Criminal, Sex Offender Registries and FBI Most Wanted/Terrorist Watch Databases
  • Social Media Search
  • Motor Vehicle Report

Protecting Institutional Reputation
In today’s digital age, reputational risk of an education institution is greater than ever. A single safety incident that could have been prevented through proper screening can quickly go viral, damaging the public image and credibility of your institution. Conducting background checks demonstrates that the school prioritizes responsibility, due diligence, and ethical standards, which in turn strengthens public trust.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance
Many programs—particularly in healthcare, education, childcare, and security—require background checks by law. Institutions must verify that students meet professional and ethical standards before participating in internships, placements, or fieldwork. Compliance with these legal requirements not only protects external partners but also maintains the integrity of academic programs. In an increasingly interconnected and high-stakes world, performing effective student background checks is not just a precaution—it is a vital commitment to safety, trust, and responsibility in education.

Creating a Safer Educational Environment

Protecting students is not optional—it is a moral and legal responsibility. By investing in comprehensive background checks, continuous monitoring, and strong compliance programs, schools can prevent harm before it occurs and create safer environments for learning and growth.

Contact Reliable Background Screening

Our team of experts helps schools, universities, and childcare organizations reduce risk and protect their communities.  Let us help and protect your institution by reducing risk.

CONTACT US today

Learn how we can help your institution design a compliant, effective background screening program.  Our educational background check solutions are comprehensive while also maintaining compliance with state and federal (FCRA) regulations.

FAQ

Education should always be verified independently, i.e., not by accepting proof of a degree from the candidate or applicant. The educational institution should be contacted directly, or if they use a third party to handle verifications, then the third party should be contacted.

An education background check typically verifies dates of attendance, the degree, if any that was obtained, and the major area of study.

Most background checks do not contain educational verification unless specifically requested by the client. For organizations that care about the educational degree of their candidates, they should request that verification of education be included in their background check package.

Education should always be verified independently, i.e., not by accepting proof of a degree from the candidate or applicant. The educational institution should be contacted directly, or if they use a third party to handle verifications, then the third party should be contacted. Due to the easy access of desktop publishing and websites that provide diplomas, employers should never accept proof of education that is provided directly from their applicants.

Some employers verify high school diplomas, particularly if that is the only degree of education that is required. However, most employers who verify education will verify the highest level attained, which generally would be college-level.

Many employers do not check education that is listed on a resume. However, that is ill-advised. If a certain level of education is necessary, it should always be verified independently, i.e., not by accepting proof of a degree from the candidate or applicant. The educational institution should be contacted directly, or if they use a third party to handle verifications, then the third party should be contacted.

Most background checks do not contain any educational verification, including high school diplomas unless specifically requested by the client. For organizations that care about the educational degree of their candidates, they should request that verification of education be included in their background check package.

Employers who verify education will generally do so on a pre-employment basis. However, if an employee claims to have attained additional education degrees or certifications, that is requisite for continued employment or promotion, this additional education attainment should always be verified independently, i.e., never accept proof of education from the candidate directly.