HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1694

BYRepresentatives Betrozoff, Peery, Holland, Rasmussen andP. King; by request of  Superintendent of Public Instruction

Specifying some of the personal qualifications that are prerequisites to applying for a teaching certificate.

House Committe on Education

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (21)

      Signed by Representatives Peery, Chair; Spanel, Vice Chair; Appelwick, Betrozoff, Butterfield, Cole, Cooper, Ebersole, Fuhrman, Holland, Holm, P. King, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Rust, Schoon, Taylor, Todd, Valle and Walker.

House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 15, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Currently, persons seeking teacher certification must submit to a background check through the Washington State Patrol's criminal identification system.  This would also be required of individuals teaching in vocational technical institutes who are working with students over the age of sixteen and who are frequently hired for a short period.  In these cases the need to hire the person may pass before the background check could be completed.

SUMMARY:

Persons applying for certification which restricts them to teaching students who are sixteen years of age or older are exempt from the requirement of submitting to a background check by the Washington State Patrol as a condition of certification.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Judy Hartmann, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Monica Schmidt, State Board of Education.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The vocational technical institutes serve an older population.  Their certification is separate from other certificates.  These individuals are frequently hired for short periods of time and on short notice.  They may come from industry or the business community for a few weeks to teach a segment of a class.  The background check requirement would make it impossible to utilize these important community resources.  Other legislation relating to background checks only require such checks for people working with children under the age of sixteen.  The vocational technical institutes serve students sixteen years of age and older and adults.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.