Transcript for: “Employment History Check: Instructional Personnel and Administrators” video. 

Slide 2 

While it’s a good practice for all businesses to do a reference check before hiring a new employee, 
private schools that participate in the state scholarship programs are required to. 

Slide 3 

Section 1002.421 specifies that before employing teachers or administrators in any position that 
requires direct student contact, the school must conduct an employment history check. The school must 
contact each of the individual’s previous employers and document the findings. If the school is unable 
to contact a previous employer, it must document its efforts to contact. 

Slide 4 

Documentation can be as simple as a written log, kept with the employee’s personnel file. The specific 
purpose of this screening is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of students. Statute prohibits a 
participating private school from entering into a confidentiality agreement regarding terminated or 
dismissed teachers and administrators, or those who resign to avoid termination, based on misconduct 
that affects the health, safety or welfare of students. 

Slide 5 

Participating private schools are prohibited from providing employment references without disclosing 
misconduct. When you call another participating private school for an employment reference, you 
should expect to receive any report of misconduct; and when another school calls you about a former 
teacher or administrator, you must provide the same. 

Slide 6 

In addition to the employment history reference check, participating private schools must also screen 
new instructional personnel or school administrators using two employee screening tools available 
through the Department of Education. First, the Bureau of Educator Certification’s Partnership Access & 
Services System – known as BEC-PASS. 

Slide 7 

This system provides information on teacher certification. Access is available by logging in with your 
school code and password, and private schools must submit an request through BEC-PASS for each 
instructor and school administrator prior to employment, even if the individual has never applied for 
certification. The findings should be kept in the employee’s personnel file. 

 

 


Slide 8 

The second tool provided by the Department of Education is the Professional Practices Database of 
Disciplinary Action. 

Slide 9 

This database displays a summary of any disciplinary action taken against Florida educator’s teaching 
certificate. Private schools should use this tool to search the names of any new instructional personnel 
and school administrators, and document the findings. 

Slide 10 

For more information on this topic, contact our office at (800) 447-1636 or email us at 
schoolchoice@fldoe.org.