A new law (Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2013) requires the fingerprinting of all staff at both public and private schools who are in contact with students. The procedure is that a person goes to an FBI-approved vendor who takes the fingerprints. They are then sent to the FBI which checks for matches with those in their data base. If there is a match, the school system is informed and makes a decision whether or not the applicant is suitable for employment. The record is then deleted. It is not shared or stored at any time in the process, which is completely electronic.
Oversight and compliance with Chapter 77 resides with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Staff members there are happy to provide further information and answers to questions (for a direct phone number to that office, call Barbara Miranda at 617-722-1280).
Barbara Miranda, Chief of Staff