All Personnel
OP 4112.5.01/4212.5.01/4312.5.01(a)
OBTAINING FINGERPRINTS FOR EMPLOYMENT CLEARANCE
In accordance with state law, all individuals must be fingerprinted for a Department of
Justice (DOS) records check and obtain DOJ clearance prior to beginning employment at the
County Office, including individuals working in permanent, temporary, or substitute
positions. In addition, any consultant or volunteer who will have ongoing contact with
students must be fingerprinted and obtain DOJ clearance. Volunteers for one-time events
who are under the line-of-sight supervision of a County Office employee are not required to
be fingerprinted. Out-of-state applicants for employment or contracted services must obtain
clearance through the FBI in addition to DOJ clearance.
The County Office will not employ an individual who has been convicted of violent or
serious felony.
To streamline the process of fingerprinting and DOJ clearance, the County Office operates a
“Live Scan Service” which provides on-site fingerprinting with a direct link to the
Department of Justice for the evaluation of the prints.
This service is also open to districts and other agencies. Non-Public Schools (NPS) have a
similar fingerprinting requirement for their certificated and classified staff. State law states
that “every person or agency offering or conducting private school instruction at
elementary/high school level, shall require fingerprinting and submit for FBI as well as DOJ
clearance,”
Purpose: To obtain Department of Justice (DOJ) clearance for incoming SCOE employees,
substitutes, contracted consultants, and volunteers and provide a fingerprint service to
districts and outside agencies.
Timeline: Clearance from the Department of Justice is generally received within seven
working days of submitting fingerprint impressions via the Live Scan Service. If the records
check shows that there is no record on file, clearance is generally received within a few days.
FBI clearance for applicants who have not recently resided in California may take several
months.
Procedures:
1.
For SCOE employees, substitutes, consultants, and volunteers - Human Resources
Technician, department secretary or Credential Clerk/Technician (for consultants and
volunteers) completes the Request for Live Scan Service and gives the form to the
prospective employee, substitute, consultant, or volunteer with verbal instructions
about how to access and pay for the Live Scan Service.
a.
For SCOE new hires, there is no charge to the applicant.
b.
For substitute assistants for SCOE programs, there is no charge to the
applicant.
OP 4112.5.01/4212.5.01/4312.5.01(b)
OBTAINING FINGERPRINTS FOR EMPLOYMENT CLEARANCE (continued)
c.
Substitute teachers are charged the full applicable fee.
d.
Contracted consultants are charged the full applicable fee.
e.
School volunteers are charged the full applicable fee. (Note that departments
have the option of paying the fee for volunteers.)
f.
Nonprofit volunteers are charged the SCOE rolling fee
Note that fees are summarized on the Fingerprint Clearance Fees Schedule available
from the Human Resources Department.)
2.
Applicant makes an appointment with Live Scan staff by calling 524-2812.
Note: Applicant may also sign up for standby appointments or request to be notified if
there is a cancellation.
Note: If the applicant is a drop-in and there is an open appointment for the same day,
Live Scan staff notifies her/him of the time and writes the applicant name in that slot.
If there are no open appointments on the schedule, the Live Scan staff takes the
applicant’s name and phone number and schedules an appointment on another day.
a.
Live Scan staff confirms the cost of the fingerprint service and payment
procedure when the applicant makes an appointment.
b.
Live Scan staff produces a daily appointment schedule, indicating the fee
amount for each applicant, and gives a copy to the SCOE Receptionist.
c.
Applicant must have a completed Request for Live Scan Service form, a photo
ID, and the appropriate fee.
d.
Live Scan staff comes to the front lobby when s/he is ready for the next
applicant.
e.
Receptionist directs an applicant who arrives after her/his appointment time to
proceed to the Live Scan office.
f.
Live Scan staff collects the fee from the applicant, gives the applicant a receipt
for payment, and indicates on the appointment schedule that payment was
received. Payment must be in the form of cash, money order, credit card,
certified check, or personal check made payable to SCOE, in the exact amount
of the fingerprint fees.
g.
Live Scan staff reviews Live Scan form for completion, checks photo ID, and
then performs the fingerprint service.
OP 4112.5.01/4212.5.01/4312.5.01(c)
OBTAINING FINGERPRINTS FOR EMPLOYMENT CLEARANCE (continued)
h.
Live Scan staff completes the bottom portion of the Request for Live Scan
Service form, giving one copy to the applicant.
i.
Live Scan staff deposits cash receipts following the procedure for Receiving
Payment from clients.
j.
Credentials Clerk shall bill SCOE departments and sends invoices to school
districts.
k.
Business Services staff audits deposit records, and works with Business
Services to reconcile billings with DOJ records as appropriate.
l.
Department of Justice notifies the Credentials Clerk or Credentials Technician
at the County Office of clearance.
m.
The Human Resources Department’s Credentials Clerk or Credentials
Technician notifies applicant and department that clearance has been received.
n.
Applicant does not begin work until notification of clearance has been received
from the DOJ.
District use of the Live Scan Service
1.
District obtains an ORI number from the Department of Justice. Districts may also
obtain a DOJ billing number for direct billing of the DOJ processing fees.
2.
District completes the Request for Live Scan Service form and gives the form to the
prospective employee, substitute, volunteer, or consultant with verbal instructions
about how to access and pay for the Live Scan Service.
The County Office charges districts a processing fee, payable at the time of service,
for each individual fingerprinted. Additional DOJ charges are billed directly to
districts that have a DOJ billing number. If the district does not have a billing number,
the County Office fee and the DOJ fee must be paid at the time of service. Districts
may issue an open Purchase Order (PO) for the payment of fees to the County Office.
The Department of Justice charges a fee for all school volunteers (this fee is not
waived).
a.
If the district is charging its fee to an open PO, a copy of the PO must be
attached to each Request for Live Scan Service form, and the applicant’s name
must be listed.
b.
If the district does not have an open PO, the applicant must pay the fees with
cash, money order, credit card or certified check made payable to SCOE,
OP 4112.5.01/4212.5.01/4312.5.01(c)
OBTAINING FINGERPRINTS FOR EMPLOYMENT CLEARANCE (continued)
3.
c.
If the district uses the County Office billing number, the entire fee will be
billed to the district.
d.
If the billing number is a district number, the processing fee will be paid by the
applicant or billed to the district.
e.
If FBI clearance is needed, there is an additional fee.
Steps 2b through 2j of the procedure for SCOE employees are followed. The County
Office invoices districts for services provided on open purchase orders. Districts are
directly notified by the Department of Justice regarding clearance of each applicant
fingerprinted using its ORI number.
Other Agency Use of the Live Scan Service
1.
Other agency obtains an OR] number from the Department of Justice. Other agency
must also, whenever possible, obtain a DOJ billing number for direct billing of the
processing fees.
Note: When an agency receives an ORI number, the DOJ will set fees and inform the
agency of it fee schedule. Fees are determined by the type of application and level of
service requested
2.
Other agency completes the Request for Live Scan Service and gives the form to the
prospective employee or volunteer with verbal instructions about how to access and
pay for the Live Scan Service. The County Office charges other agencies a processing
fee, payable at the time of service, for each individual fingerprinted.
Additional DOJ charges are billed directly to agencies that have a DOJ billing
number. If the agency does not have a billing number, the processing fee and the DCI
fee must be paid at the time of service. DOJ charges $32 for each employee of other
agencies. This fee is waived for volunteers of nonprofit agencies that work with
children, however the processing fee is charged for all applicants.
The applicant must pay all fees with cash, money order, credit card, or certified check
made payable to SCOE. If the agency has its own billing number, the processing fee
will either be paid by the applicant or billed to the agency.
If the agency is using the County Office billing number, the Live Scan staff will
determine the fee for service. In this instance, the applicant would check in at the
front reception desk and proceed to the Live Scan Service room for determination of
the fee. No fingerprints will be taken until the fees are paid in full.
OP 4112.5.01/4212.5.01/4312.5.01(d)
OBTAINING FINGERPRINTS FOR EMPLOYMENT CLEARANCE (continued)
3.
Steps 2b through 2j of the procedure for SCOE employees are followed Agencies are
directly notified by the Department of Justice regarding clearance of each applicant
fingerprinted using its CRI number.
SONOMA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Policy References: AR 4112.5/4212.5/4312.5, Criminal Record
4112.62/4212.62/4312.62, Maintenance of Criminal Offender Records.
Procedure approved: April 14, 2014
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(4125.01)