ODE Background Check Revisions Begin January 1

House Bill 1 has changed certain background check requirements for licensed educators in Ohio beginning Jan. 1, 2010:

• Educators who are renewing a license or permit and have lived continuously in the state of Ohio for the previous five years, and have a BCI background check on file with ODE, will need to complete only an FBI criminal background check once every five years. (Currently, they must complete both BCI and FBI checks whenever they renew.)
• Educators who have not lived continuously in the state for the past five years will need to complete both a BCI and FBI background check.
• Educators with multiple licenses only need to submit the required background checks when they are applying for the renewal of the license or permit that is of the longest duration.
• Educators who hold a permanent certificate are still required to submit the required background checks once every five years. Permanent certificate holders who have lived continuously in Ohio for those five years, however, will only need to submit FBI background checks.
• Initial applicants for a license must complete both BCI and FBI criminal background checks. These checks need to be less than 365 days old to be considered valid for licensing purposes.

For further details on background check requirements, click here and search keywords: background check FAQ.