STAFF AND STUDENT BACKGROUND CHECK

Schools and other educational institutions should be a safe environment, yet they are vulnerable to actions of those elements in society who want to take advantage of them in the worst way possible. Schools are often targeted because they house the most innocent and defenseless in our society – our children – and because they allow access to many employees, contractors, and volunteers who serve in a large variety of capacities.

Our children are precious and we have the duty to protect them by running a thorough educational background check of every employee, contractor, and volunteer who comes in contact with them or their personal information.

Although many states require fingerprinting of school employees and volunteers, and others who perform work on school grounds, this is not enough. Fingerprint records cover only about 50% of crimes committed. There are other, more effective ways to perform an education background check.

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To protect everyone in your educational institution you need the employee screening solutions offered by Reliable Background Screening. Their educational background check solutions are comprehensive while also maintaining compliance with FCRA regulations (Fair Credit Reporting Act – the Federal law that regulates employee background checks).

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.