FINGERPRINT REQUIREMENT [RCW 28A.410.010]
Washington State law requires fingerprinting for all persons who have contact with students. In addition, fingerprinting is required for employment for applicants who have not been fingerprinted in the previous two years.
Fingerprinting was established by the legislature to safeguard Washington's school children by screening for potential criminal history of applicants for certification and employment.
You have to have a fingerprint check through the Washington State Patrol. This requirement cannot be met with your fingerprint check in another state.
No. School district employees who do not hold a valid teaching certificate, an ESA certificate, or administrator certificate must have fingerprints taken and results posted on the statewide database. Fingerprint results must be received from the Washington State Patrol before a permit may be issued. Certificates may not be issued until fingerprint results have been received from both the state and the FBI.
Yes. You may take your cards to any agency authorized to take fingerprints, and that agency can mail them to the Washington State Patrol. In the US the nearest police station should be able to take fingerprints. In other countries a law enforcement office, a US military station, or a US embassy/consulate may be able to provide this service.
No. The fingerprint card comes with full instructions on how to submit it, where to submit it, etc. The card is mailed to the Washington State Patrol.
No. It must be a fingerprint card prepared in Washington State.
The fingerprint process is a two-part function. If prints are readable, the WSP check will take approximately 14 business days, and the FBI will take approximately 8 weeks. Unreadable prints will be sent back to be re-taken.
The WSP and FBI process ALL fingerprints, including cards submitted by law enforcement agencies for criminal investigations. We (at OSPI) have no control over the length of time it takes to process fingerprints, as the Washington State Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation are separate agencies from OSPI.
- FEES: The card is rejected for improper fee amount;
- MISSING INFORMATION: Make sure date of birth, sex, and all other identifiers are noted on the card;
- HIGHLIGHTER: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) scanning service cannot process card with highlighter markings on it;
- REQUESTER: Failure to put a requester’s name in the requester box (they don’t know who to send the information to);
- NAME: Printed names must be legible.
Please feel free to call the Fingerprint Records Office at (360) 725-6135 or Office of Professional Practices (360-7256130) if you’d like any clarification of any of these items. These numbers are to offices at the Superintendent of Public Instruction and not at Tacoma Public Schools.
By law, fingerprints remain in the Washington State Patrol database for only two years. The FBI retains fingerprints in the national database indefinitely.
MORAL CHARACTER/BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CHARACTER AND FITNESS SUPPLEMENT [WAC 181-79A-155]
FORM SPI/CERT 4020B is a background questionnaire which enables applicants for certification to report any arrest data or other information related to moral character/fitness.
Who is required to fill out a character and fitness supplement?
This moral character/background check is mandatory for all candidates for certification who do not hold a valid certificate at the time of application.
Any violation of the law which results in an arrest, criminal citation or fingerprinting. The Office of Professional Practices will conduct an investigation, to determine if any information exists which would disqualify the candidate for certification.
Yes. After investigation, it is possible that this incident would not disqualify you for certification, but knowingly giving false information could in itself become a basis for disqualification.