A new machine at the San Benito County Office of Education will
speed up the time needed to process fingerprints and issue
clearance to school employees and others requiring them. The
fingerprinting machine, which replaced an older model in December,
reduces the waiting time from several months to just 72 hours.
Hollister – A new machine at the San Benito County Office of Education will speed up the time needed to process fingerprints and issue clearance to school employees and others requiring them. The fingerprinting machine, which replaced an older model in December, reduces the waiting time from several months to just 72 hours.
The Live Scan machine electronically scans and transmits a person’s fingerprints and other information such as social security and date of birth, for verification. The Department of Justice compares the prints to all others in the system – approximately nine million at the last count – and then sends back an e-mail to the County Office of Education, where one of three Live Scan machines in the county resides.
“The system really works,” said Lydia Chapa, a credentials supervisor at the Office of Education, which runs the Fingerprinting Consortium, a sort of clearinghouse for schools in the area. “The turn around time is just amazing.”
The return e-mail is typically a green light to hire someone, but if there are serious drug offenses or any violent crimes on the record, the Office of Education notifies the potential employer.
Fingerprinting of all school employees became a law after a Sacramento high school student was raped and killed in 1997 by a substitute janitor who had recently been released from prison. Despite eight felony convictions – including another killing – he was hired by the school district, who did not take the time to fingerprint the man because he was not a teacher.
The fingerprinting service is funded in part by the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, which uses trial fees and those from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The rest comes from the state Department of Justice.
And while the fingerprinting can’t prevent violence on campus alone, it helps weed out potential troublemakers.
“It’s a great tool for employers to make sure they are hiring people who are competent and don’t have a criminal history,” said Chapa.
Prior to the introduction of the Live Scan machine, school employees and others had to submit fingerprints the old-fashioned way – sticking their fingers in ink and smudging them on a piece of paper. The process was not only inconvenient, but lengthy, and schools had no choice because it was the only method they had to verify new employees backgrounds.
Nurses, adoptive parents, Little League coaches and even car sales people are also required to be fingerprinted and can do so at the Office of Education. The two other Live Scan machines are at the San Benito County Jail and the Juvenile Hall.
Karina Ioffee covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or ki*****@fr***********.com
