Connecticut Senate Bill SB00297

Connecticut 2012 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/29/12
• Refer: 2/29/12

Caption

An Act Concerning Regional Educational Service Centers.

Impact

If passed, SB00297 would significantly amend existing legislation concerning local and regional boards of education. The bill proposes to enforce strict regulations whereby regional educational service centers will be responsible for managing criminal background checks, thus institutionalizing a process designed to enhance child safety within educational environments. The collection and retention of fingerprints for up to four years suggest an effort to streamline and standardize security measures across different educational institutions.

Summary

SB00297, titled 'An Act Concerning Regional Educational Service Centers,' introduces a requirement for regional educational service centers to maintain fingerprints and other positive identifying information for individuals undergoing state and national criminal history records checks. The bill empowers these centers to arrange for the fingerprinting process and ensure that the collected data is forwarded to the State Police Bureau of Identification. This measure is focused on enhancing the safety protocols around individuals working within educational settings, particularly those in direct contact with students.

Contention

While supporters argue that this bill employs a necessary safeguard to ensure that individuals appointed in educational roles are vetted adequately through criminal history checks, there may also be concerns regarding privacy and the administrative burden placed on regional educational service centers. The requirement to maintain fingerprints electronically could also lead to discussions about data security, particularly in how this sensitive information is managed and stored.

Notable_points

The bill is particularly notable as it shifts some responsibilities from individual educational institutions to regional service centers, potentially reducing inconsistencies in background checks across districts. There may be debates on the effectiveness and feasibility of such a centralized approach, especially in terms of response times and the capacity of service centers to handle increased administrative responsibilities.