Frequently Asked Questions About Vendors And Volunteer Clearance
1. How long will it take to be cleared after being fingerprinted?
Answer: It will take approximately five (5) working days.
2. How long will the clearance be good?
Answer: Clearance will be good for five (5) years. After five years, a new fingerprint submission will be required. For vendors cleared prior to July 1, 2009, an annual storage fee of $10 will be necessary. We will contact the vendors annually with the details. Effective July 1, 2009, the retention fee for five years is included in the fingerprinting fee.
3. What does it cost to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: The non-refundable fee for fingerprinting is $88.
4. What level of screening will be completed?
Answer: A Level 2 background check will be conducted. The background check will include the fingerprints being submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to compare those records against the statewide criminal and juvenile records maintained by FDLE and federal criminal records through the FBI. It will also include a local criminal records check through local law enforcement agencies.
5. Can a vendor's employee under the age of 18 be fingerprinted?
Answer: Yes, Section 1012.465 F.S. does not contain an age limitation for background check requirements.
6. Do athletic officials have to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: Yes, all athletic officials must be fingerprinted and cleared if they are paid for their services. Athletic officials who are not under contract or paid are considered volunteers and need to follow the volunteer process to obtain clearance through the RSVP Office.
7. Will vendors who drop off shipped goods to a school or deliver through UPS, Federal Express, or other delivery services have to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: No, employees with Federal Express or UPS/Postal Services are not typically contracted with districts. However, in the event a district executes a contract to lock in delivery rates with a company, then such delivery personnel would need to be screened.
8. Will vendors who work outside the building on the school grounds, such as lawn maintenance crews, have to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: Yes, if they are there when students are on campus. Students may be on campus from 6:00 a.m. until midnight.
9. What happens if a consultant is coming from out of town?
Answer: Special accommodations may be made prior to the arrival for out of town consultants to be cleared by St. Johns County School District administrative offices.
10. Will vendors who fix our copy machines have to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: Yes
11. Will vendors who provide services to our Extended Day Programs have to be fingerprinted?
Answer: Yes
12. Will contractors, sub-contractors, and other vendors working in designated construction areas (except behind fences) on a school campus have to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: Yes, if there are students on campus. Students may be on campus from 6:00 a.m. until midnight.
13. Is there a statewide database available to assist school districts with vendor printing so vendors will not be required to be printed in multiple districts?
Answer: Yes. The statewide data base, Florida School Shared Results (FSSR) was created by FDLE to assist school districts with screening vendors who were fingerprinted by another school district. Records that were created on or after July 1, 2007 with an indicator designating them as vendors will be available for sharing.
14. Will vendors cleared by other school districts also have to be cleared by the St. Johns County School District?
Answer: Yes. Each district reviews the records to make its own determination of whether an act constitutes a "crime of moral turpitude" that would disqualify an individual.
15. How will the districts monitor who has been printed and who should be allowed on campus?
Answer: A district database is housed on "KeepNTrack" through the district intranet system. The key for the monitoring program is to ensure that, once printed, an individual returning to work at the district is the same individual who was fingerprinted. This will be done through photo ID with date of birth included and must be checked at each site the vendor's employee accesses.
16. Are parents and guardians required to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: No, however, if the parents and guardians are vendors working for the district, they must be cleared as stated above. If the parents or guardians are volunteers, then they must be cleared as such through the RSVP Office.
17. Are SAC and PTA members required to be fingerprinted and cleared?
Answer: No, they are considered volunteers and must be cleared through the RSVP Office.
18. How does someone whose fingerprints have been cleared get a day pass at a school?
Answer: Once cleared, the individual's name will be added to a district-wide database. When they visit a school or department, they must first report to the main office and provide photo identification that includes date of birth. When they have been verified by the school's staff member, they then will be given a one day pass for that specific site. The process must be repeated at each site and for each visit.
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