The Kansas State Department of Education
wants to add security measures for its schools, including
fingerprinting about 40,000 educators who were licensed before
2003.
Pam Coleman, a department official, told the Kansas State Board
of Education on Wednesday that the 40,000 teachers and
administrators received their state department licenses before
2003, when fingerprints and background checks were required for a
new license.
Coleman said more regular Kansas Bureau of Investigation
background checks and enrollment in the bureau’s Rap Back program
also are needed to more adequately protect students.
The state’s teachers
union says changes to the current regulations aren’t needed if
superintendents and county district attorneys would report arrests
more consistently to the education department.