Background Checks

Granbury ISD shall obtain criminal history record information on final candidates for employment. All District positions have the potential for contact with students. The District shall disqualify from employment a person whose criminal history indicates that the person poses a threat to students or employees. Consistent with business necessity, the District shall also disqualify from employment a person whose criminal history is otherwise inconsistent with the job duties of the position for which the person is being considered.

The District shall perform an individualized assessment of criminal history record information when determining a person's eligibility for employment in a specific position. The District shall take into account a variety of factors, including the following:

• The nature of the offense;
• The age of the person when the crime was committed;
• The date of the offense and how much time has elapsed;
• The adjudication of the offense (e.g., whether the person was found guilty by a trier of fact, pled guilty, entered a no contest plea, or received deferred adjudication);
• The nature and responsibilities of the job sought;
• The accuracy of the person's disclosure of his or her criminal history during the selection process;
• The effect of the conduct on the overall educational environment; and
• Any further information provided by the person concerning his or her criminal history record.

The fact of an arrest alone does not establish that criminal conduct has occurred, and the District shall not disqualify a person based solely on an arrest. The District may make an employment decision based on the conduct underlying the arrest if the conduct makes the person unfit for the position in question.

If a candidate for a position has a reported criminal history, and the candidate is certified by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), the District shall report the criminal history to SBEC.

Applicants must authorize the District to check with the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or other Criminal History Investigation agencies in the United States for any criminal history in accordance with applicable statutes, and provide date of birth and social security number for this reason.

National criminal history record checks based on fingerprints are required for all persons hired after January 1, 2008, and all certified employees. 

Those under consideration of employment with the District will be required to complete a fingerprinting process.

Certified applicants complete this process through their certification procedures with Texas Education Agency and State Board for Educator Certification.

Non-certified applicants will complete the fingerprinting process through FAST (Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas) by attending a designated appointment in Fort Worth PRIOR to beginning their employment with GISD, and must agree to pay the associated fees at the time of completion.

The District shall obtain credit history information on a candidate for employment only when the credit history is related to the position for which the person is being considered. The District shall comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act before obtaining a job-related credit history.