COLUMBIA – Legislation has been pre-filed in the South Carolina Senate that would require school districts to do state criminal background checks on substitute teachers. 

The bill follows a State Board of Education resolution last month that recommended screening of substitutes by the State Law Enforcement Division.

Current law requires FBI and SLED background checks on full-time certified teachers but not on substitutes.  South Carolina’s State Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution on Nov. 10 supporting SLED screening of substitutes, and State Board members have been working with lawmakers to propose legislation that would address the issue.

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Paul Campbell, Jr. (R-Berkeley), would require all substitute teachers hired by local school districts to undergo criminal background investigations and would prohibit the employment of prospective substitutes who had been convicted of violent crimes as defined by statute.  The legislation would also require that SLED provide training to school districts on how to interpret the screening reports.  

“We’ve got to protect our children under all circumstances,”
Campbell said. “Background checks on good people who need jobs will give positive results.  They will also keep unqualified or unsuitable people from applying.”

A key supporter in the House, Rep. Jenny Horne (R-Charleston-Dorchester), agreed.  “If we’re serious about safeguarding students – and we are very serious about it – then this legislation is something we need,” Horne said.  

Another supporter in the House, Rita Allison (R-Spartanburg), said:
“I feel strongly about anyone who touches the lives of our children.  A background check on a substitute teacher is something we should have the ability to do.”  

State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said that the legislation would improve the hiring process for substitutes, and he expressed special appreciation for the roles that two State Board members, Cindy Clark and Amelia Herlong, played in developing the resolution and the proposed legislation.

Rex said that informal surveys conducted by his agency found that most school districts are already doing SLED background checks on substitute teachers.  Some districts pay for the background checks out of district funds, while others require prospective substitutes to pay for the background checks as a condition of employment.

Tightening the vetting process for substitute teachers is part of ongoing state-led efforts to create a heightened culture of safety and security in South Carolina schools.  

Rex and the State Board have forged a partnership with Darkness to Light, a Charleston-based nonprofit organization, to train 20,000 South Carolina teachers and school employees in child abuse prevention.
According to Darkness to Light, this represents more than 40 percent of the state’s 54,000 professional school staff and sets a national record for child abuse prevention training among American school systems.
 
Deputy Superintendent Mark Bounds said that the Darkness to Light program ‘Stewards of Children’ educates adults about preventing, recognizing and reacting responsibly to child sexual abuse.
 
Bounds said that parents should be encouraged to see State Board members, legislators and educators working together to protect children.
 “The State Board’s resolution and this newly proposed legislation demonstrate a strong commitment to keeping students safe,” Bounds said.