By Laura Leslie , WRAL capitol bureau chief for WRAL NEWS.
A bill scheduled for its first hearing in a key committee on Tuesday would add a new layer of scrutiny for would-be North Carolina teachers.
House Bill 775 would require the North Carolina Board of Education to review criminal background checks for each applicant for a teaching license in the state.
Under current state law, it’s up to local school districts to complete criminal background checks on school employees. The state doesn’t play a role. But there are no hard-and-fast statewide rules on which past crimes should or shouldn’t keep a teacher out of the classroom.
Sponsor Rep. Neal Jackson, R-Moore, says local districts could still do their own checks in addition to the state’s. He thinks adding state oversight will make the process more consistent.
The measure would require state education officials to review a criminal background check for each applicant before granting that person a North Carolina teaching license, using three broad criteria to make their decision.
- Does the person’s criminal history indicate they might pose a threat to the physical safety of students or other employees?
- Does it show that the person lacks the integrity or honesty to be a professional educator?
- Does it show that they otherwise don’t meet the standards for ethics and moral character contained in DPI’s code of educator conduct?
If any of those three criteria apply, the board could deny the applicant a teaching license, but would have to provide the rationale for their denial in writing.
Jackson declined to be interviewed for the story, but said the bill is needed to maintain trust in teachers.
“We can’t be too careful with our children,” Jackson said. “The bill ensures only those with integrity hold these roles, preserving public confidence amid debates over education funding and accountability.”
Jackson said a state-level check would also dovetail better with the Multistate Educator Lookup System, keeping problem teachers in other states from coming into North Carolina to find work.
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction spokesman Mark Dessauer also declined to be interviewed. He said DPI did not request the bill and has no position on it, though he warned it could further delay teacher licensing, a persistent problem in recent years.
Neither the North Carolina School Boards Association nor the North Carolina Association of Educators had a comment on the proposal.