In order to get fingerprinted or have a criminal history check done, you need to go to the New Jersey Department of Education site for fingerprinting and criminal history checks. Many of our partner districts require pre-clinical interns and clinical interns to pass the NJ criminal history check before beginning a placement in a district or school.
The information below outlines the Criminal History Review process. Please follow the directions carefully. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Office of Student Protection at 609-376-3999 or by emailing them at: officeofstudentprotection@doe.nj.gov. If you need additional assistance or you are not getting a response from the Office of Student Protection, you can call the Office of Clinical Experience and Research at 973-761-9347. In some instances, districts require you to work directly with them, if that is the case, please contact them directly.
The following video presentation includes a step-by-step walk though of how to apply for your criminal background check, schedule your fingerprinting appointment, transfer your background check, and send your background check to the OCEAR office. You are able to use the links within the presentation in order to access the step in the process that you are attempting to complete. If you would like to schedule an appointment with our office to go through the presentation together, please contact us at: CEHSFieldOffice@shu.edu.
For a copy of the presentation click Criminal Background Check and Fingerprinting Presentation.
Helpful Links:
Website for filing/transferring background check
Fingerprinting: Instructions For Pre-Clinical and Clinical Interns
Criminal History Record Check Instructions: https://www.nj.gov/education/crimhist/check/
View the New Jersey Department of Education – School District Code Listing to easily access the code for your designated district placement.
If you are completing a placement in New York, the steps for the process are different. You can view the websites below to complete the process.
New York State Department of Education: http://www.nysed.gov/educator-integrity/fingerprint-process
New York City Department of Education: https://nyc.teacherssupportnetwork.com/studentteacher/Home.do
If you live outside the state of New Jersey and want to get your fingerprints done in the state you are residing in, follow the same directions above. Choose an IdentoGO location near you. Select code 2F1FB1 – New Jersey PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYMENT-EDK-State&Fed to get your fingerprints sent to the Office of Student Protection. If there is not an IdentoGO near you, your fingerprints can be taken at your local police station after receiving your fingerprint cards from the Office of Student Protection. This method will take longer to get approved. Keep this in mind when completing the process. If you have any questions on this process, please reach out to the Office of Student Protection at 609-376-3999 or by emailing them at: officeofstudentprotection@doe.nj.gov.
When the Criminal History Review is completed, the applicant will be able to go to the Office of Student Protections website at https://www.nj.gov/education/crimhist/ to view and print their Applicant Approval Employment History or they will receive an Ineligible or Disqualification letter. To do so, follow step 9 in the Fingerprinting Instructions above.