Criminal History & Employment

An article in Voice for the Defense explains about how a criminal history can effect one’s ability to obtain employment.  Every school district performs a background check on all applicants for employment.  This is on area where board policies are often remarkably different.  Furthermore, districts regularly conduct background checks on current employees.  School districts exclude from employment those persons with certain criminal histories:

For the purposes of restricting employment to applicants with a criminal history record, “conviction” is defined as a finding of guilt or acceptance by the courts of a please of guilty or nolo contendere.  The District shall not employ an applicant who:1. is a convicted felon; and/or2. is convicted of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; and/or3. is charged with a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, until there is a final disposition of the charge; and/or4. is on probation for any offense (including deferred adjudication) that would otherwise restrict unemployment.

If someone is eligible then it is important to file a petition for expungement or petition for non-disclosure.