ADDA - Criminal Record Information

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Policy ADDA

Adopted: June 19, 2003
Amended: April 12, 2018

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the Hopkinton Public Schools complies with law and regulations regarding the review of criminal 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. 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, a CORI 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 children 18 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 children.

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 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.

Massachusetts Department of Education Advisory, February 17, 2003, 803 2.00-9.00 et seq