ADDA - Criminal Record Information

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Policy ADDA

Adopted: June 19, 2003
Amended: March 17, 2025

HOPKINTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE POLICY

CRIMINAL RECORD INVESTIGATION

SEX OFFENDER RECORD INVESTIGATION

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the Hopkinton Public Schools complies with law and regulations regarding the review of criminal and sex offender records of candidates under consideration for employment or volunteer service and current employees and volunteers.  Under M.G.L. c. 71, §38R the Hopkinton Public Schools must request criminal offender record information (CORI) from the Massachusetts Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB) for both present and future employees or volunteers in any Hopkinton Public Schools program who have direct and unmonitored contact with children.  The Hopkinton Public Schools also must obtain or review CORI on all contracted drivers for children in the district.  The Hopkinton Public Schools may also request CORI for any subcontractor or laborer who may have direct and unsupervised contact with children while performing work on school grounds. The Hopkinton Public Schools also requires the aforementioned employees, volunteers, contracted drivers, and subcontractors or laborers to undergo a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check through the Sex Offender Registry Board, under M.G.L. c. 6 §178I.  In order to ensure that all individuals with the potential for direct and unmonitored contact with Hopkinton Public Schools children are suitable for doing so, both a CORI and a SORI check will be performed and reviewed.

SCOPE OF POLICY

This Policy applies to all individuals who have the potential for direct and unmonitored contact with Hopkinton Public Schools students, including but not limited to teachers, teacher aides, school nurses, counselors, coaches or other extracurricular staff or supervisors, food service employees, custodians, transportation providers and certain other professional, administrative, and support staff.  This Policy also includes volunteers, interns, student teachers, and other persons regularly offering support to any school program or facility in either a paid or unpaid capacity.  However, the Hopkinton Public Schools may require and rely upon the certification of independent entities, such as out-of-district special education schools or programs, or other entities or organizations, which are primarily engaged in providing activities to or programs to students 22 years of age or less, that such entities have obtained CORI information regarding their employees and volunteers, and that such employees or volunteers are qualified to have direct and unsupervised contact with students.

THIRD PARTIES

The Superintendent shall ensure that all contracts with the private or out-of-district special education programs contain a provision which requires certification that the private or out-of-district special education program has conducted CORI reviews, as required by law, of all employees and volunteers who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children.  The Superintendent may determine that a CORI and a SORI review is required in other circumstances, such as work study programs or internships where other individuals, not directly covered by this policy may have direct and unmonitored contact with students in programs which are associated with the Hopkinton Public Schools.

STORAGE OF RECORDS

CORI and SORI are not subject to the public records law and must be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files, and may be retained for not more than three years. CORI and SORI shall be shared with the individual to whom it pertains, pursuant to law, regulation and the following model policy, and in the event of an inaccurate report the individual should contact the Department of Criminal Justice Informational Services. 

Access to CORI and SORI materials must be restricted to those individuals certified to receive such information. In the case of prospective employees or volunteers, CORI and SORI materials should be obtained only where the Superintendent had determined that the applicant is qualified and may forthwith be recommended for employment or volunteer duties.