CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is working with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to fingerprint employees over the summer after thousands were not fingerprinted in the last year.
A CMS spokesperson said the district needs to fingerprint 3,290 employees who were hired or re-hired for the 2018-2019 school year because this security feature was not part of their original background checks.
In a message to these employees, the district said CMS Human Resources transitioned background check, drug testing, and pre-hire compliance vendors to Background Investigation Bureau (BIB) during the summer of 2018.
The message said that BIB has an in-depth background search that goes beyond what was conducted in previous years, however, their process does not involve fingerprints.
A CMS spokesperson said the contract with BIB, which started in July 2018, lasted one year at a cost of $253,881.20. The process to renew the contract is currently underway.
Since thousands of employees were not fingerprinted upon hire in the last year, the CMS Board of Education, Legal Department, and District leadership have determined that all employees who were not fingerprinted as a part of the background check process must have that included moving forward.
The district is asking the 3,290 employees who were not fingerprinted to visit MCSO to have their fingerprinting done.
As of July 25, a CMS spokesperson said 1,193 employees have been fingerprinted, and 2,097 still need to be fingerprinted.
A CMS spokesperson said this will cost the district $10 per person, which would equal to $32,900 if all employees comply with the request.
Rodney Collins, chief deputy sheriff with MCSO, said fingerprinting is essential to the background check process.
"You get all the information that's associated with those fingerprints,” Collins said. “Anytime they come in contact with law enforcement or are arrested or anytime they're fingerprinted for whatever reason, you'll have access to that information."
Collins said fingerprinting may bring up issues that a background check may not.
"When all those things match up, you're able to catch things that people may have not disclosed on a paper application,” he added.
A CMS spokesperson said CMS will continue to use MCSO for fingerprinting services.
In a statement in June regarding the background check process, CMS said, “CMS will continue to review and update background check procedures along with other safety and security measures to keep students and staff safe in schools.”
The district also added, “All CMS employees are screened each night for NC charges or convictions to uphold standards of safety and security.”