Arizona Reporting of Teacher Criminal Convictions
What are the criminal reporting requirements for teachers in Arizona?
Say a teacher in Arizona holds a license and teaches at a public, private, or charter school. I’m speaking to grades K-12. Suppose you teach any of those grades and receive criminal conviction of criminal charges. In that case, the court will report your criminal conviction to the State Board of Education.
They’ll hand over any of their findings of:
- Facts
- Conclusions of law
- Evidence
- Anything that led up to your criminal conviction
It is a requirement by Arizona Revised Statute 13-3990.
Links of Interest:
Educators Background Check Laws in Teaching
The court clerk will hand over those documents to the State Board of Education for any conviction. So, this is important to remember as an educator. Suppose this happens, and they pass it to the State Board of Education. In that case, it may be an act of unprofessional or immoral conduct. That is especially anything having to do with a minor:
- If they’re a victim of the crime
- They get into danger, or any child abuse or violent substance abuse
All of which would likely go under investigation by the State Board of Education.
It’s essential to report it yourself, but know that if there’s a conviction in Arizona, the court will send it directly to the State Board of Education. Suppose you receive a sentence for a criminal act outside of the state. Then, you would want to look at those state laws and maybe do some research, but you’ll likely have to self-report anyway.
So, keep that in mind in the future. And as I said, if the State Board of Education considers it potentially unprofessional or immoral, they’ll open an investigation. There are discipline guidelines for immoral or unprofessional conduct.
You can negotiate a settlement and agree on the discipline, the findings of facts, and the conclusions of the law. Or if you decide you want to take it to a hearing with the Professional Practices Advisory Committee.
The takeaway is getting a conviction for a criminal act within Arizona— the court will forward all that information to the State Board of Education. An investigation will likely proceed with those findings.
Arizona Board of Education Attorney
Reach out to us today to learn more about our Arizona Board of Education License Defense Attorney.