S-3897.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6272

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators McAuliffe, Long, Fairley, Winsley, Fraser, Kohl, Drew, Smith, Thibaudeau, Prentice, Wojahn, Snyder, Sheldon, Loveland, Bauer, Franklin, Rinehart, Haugen, Rasmussen, Owen, Heavey, Quigley, Oke, Schow and Roach

Read first time 01/10/96.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Requiring school employees with regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children to undergo record checks.

    AN ACT Relating to record checks of educational employees; adding a new section to chapter 28A.400 RCW; creating a new section; making an appropriation; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  (1) By June 30, 1997, school districts, educational service districts, and their contractors shall require that all employees who have regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children and were hired before June 11, 1992, undergo a record check through the Washington state patrol criminal identification system under RCW 43.43.830 through 43.43.838, 10.97.030, and 10.97.050 and through the federal bureau of investigation.  The record check shall include a fingerprint check using a complete Washington state criminal identification fingerprint card.  The requesting entity shall provide a copy of the record report to the employee.  If an employee has had a record check after June 11, 1992, the district or contractor may waive the requirement.  Once an employee has a record check as required under this section, additional record checks shall not be required of the employee unless required by other provisions of law, or at the discretion of the school district.

    (2) Employees, school districts, and educational service districts shall not be required by the state patrol or superintendent of public instruction to pay for the record check required in subsection (1) of this section.

    (3) The state patrol and superintendent of public instruction shall complete the record checks required in this section no later than June 30, 1997.

    (4) This section expires June 30, 1997.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.400 RCW to read as follows:

    A classified employee who has a record check under section 1 of this act may appeal under chapter 28A.645 RCW including an appeal under a collective bargaining agreement.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The sum of two million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1997, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of section 1 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.

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