Can You Be a Teacher in Arizona With a Misdemeanor? | Arizona Teachers
Can a teacher teach in Arizona if they have a misdemeanor conviction?
The answer is potential.
First, suppose you were arrested, convicted, or sentenced for a misdemeanor. You will have to disclose this on your employment contract with your school—any application or renewals for a certificate or license to teach in Arizona.
Say you’re arrested and convicted during a school year after receiving your teaching license. You’ll need to also report that to the State Board of Education and your school district.
So, can you teach if you have a misdemeanor? The answer is potential.
However, if your misdemeanor includes:
- Abuse of a child
- It involves a child
- The child was in danger
- The child was a victim of the crime
Anything like that, no, you’re not likely able to teach. The state board would open an investigation. They may conduct a hearing with the Professional Practices Advisory Committee, but certain specifications exist.
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Consequences of Offenses Involving a Child
The State Board of Education stipulates that you receive a conviction for a crime if there are findings. A conviction that a child was a victim or endangered because of your offense. Then no, you cannot teach. You will likely undergo revocation of your teaching license or grant, which will be impossible for you to teach.
The other thing to consider is if you get convicted of a misdemeanor involving a child in a different state. Then, you still must disclose that.
Arizona does not acknowledge expungement. It would help if you kept that in mind. If it was a state and got deleted, it could still affect you here in Arizona.
Suppose that the state statute for the crime or your misdemeanor conviction specifies anything where you:
- Endangered a child
- Abused a child, the victim of the crime
Then no, you won’t be able to have a teaching certificate. They would not grant you one here in the state of Arizona. Suppose you currently have one. Then, it would likely go to a hearing with the Professional Practices Advisory Committee. And if they found that that was the case, certainly there’ll be revocation of your license.
Disclosing Offenses that May Affect Your Teaching Certification
Suppose this misdemeanor did not involve children. They were not the victim. It wasn’t a violent crime, and it’s something you want to disclose. As I said, Arizona does not recognize expungement. That’s even if you were in another state where it gets deleted.
So, it’s likely that it could come up on a background check. So, you need to disclose all of that. Again, the board would open an investigation if it got concerns about its considered immoral or unprofessional conduct.
There may be a hearing or discipline, or they may not grant your teaching certificate. You want to be careful whenever you’re filling out your applications. Suppose you’re ever arrested or charged. In that case, you want to let the state board, the school you’re applying for, or currently working at know.
Mainly, at the school level, your employment contract or teacher policy handbook will specify that you must inform the school if you are:
- Ever arrested
- Convicted
- Charged with a misdemeanor.
Arizona Board of Education Attorney
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