S-2246.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5836

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Johnson, Hochstatter, Zarelli, Winsley, Oke and Kohl)

Read first time 03/05/97.

Requiring record checks for employees of approved private schools who have regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children.

    AN ACT Relating to record checks of educational employees; adding new sections to chapter 28A.195 RCW; making an appropriation; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.195 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) The legislature finds additional safeguards are necessary to ensure safety of school children attending private schools in the state of Washington.  In order to ensure this goal, by June 30, 1998, private schools approved under this chapter shall require that all employees who have regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children and were hired before July 1, 1997, 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.  Certificated employees who have completed a record check in accordance with RCW 28A.410.010 are not required to undergo the record check required by this section.  The  superintendent of public instruction shall provide a copy of the record report to the employee.  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.

    (2) Private schools under this chapter and their employees 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 record checks required in this section shall be in process no later than June 30, 1998.

    (4) This section expires March 31, 1999.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.195 RCW to read as follows:

    Beginning June 30, 1997, each administrator of a state-approved private school, prior to hiring a private school employee who will have regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children, shall require the employee applicant to 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 superintendent of public instruction shall provide a copy of the record report to the applicant.  The applicant or the private school shall pay the costs associated with the record check.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The sum of five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1999, from the general fund to the superintendent of  public instruction for the purpose of section 1 of this act.

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