Process for Fingerprinting School District Day Care Employees

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) have received permission from the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to share national criminal history background information for day care workers employed by a school district.  

If a newly hired district employee is assigned to work in a child care center operated by the school district, and is required to be fingerprinted by DFPS for that purpose, TEA will not require that employee to be fingerprinted a second time as a newly hired non-certified employee, pursuant to Texas Education Code 22.0833(h). The school day care employee must have been fingerprinted by DFPS as a consequence of employment with the school district to be exempt from the second printing that is normally required by TEA. In other words, this exception does not apply to any school daycare employee that is not also an employee of the school district. If the day care employee transfers to a role within the district that requires certification, such as an educational aide or a teacher, the person would be required to submit fingerprints as is required for any applicant for certification.

This exception does not apply to any fingerprinting or criminal history review other than that required by DFPS for child care workers.

If you have questions or need further clarification on this subject, please contact Jeannie Tomasek at 512-463-5415 or jeannie.tomasek@tea.state.tx.us.