Fingerprint/Background Checks Information
Background Check for Teaching Certificate
1. Where do I go to have my fingerprints taken?
You may have your fingerprints taken according to one of the following options.
- Option 1: Fingerprints may be taken electronically at the Oklahoma State Department of Education; Teacher Certification, Room 212; 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- Option 2: Fingerprints may be taken at one of our satellite sites located around the state. These sites are an appointment only. You can visit the following website to schedule a appointment www.l1enrollment.com or call (877) 219-0197 to make an appointment. Payment can be made during your appointment or online when scheduling. NOTE: If you print at a satellite site for a Teaching Certificate background check, please notify us by email at one of the addresses provide. Please provide your name, date printed and site location. Heather.Hays@sde.ok.gov or Scott.Chisholm@sde.ok.gov.
- Option 3: You may have a fingerprint card taken at your local sheriff's office or police department to send to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) for scanning and submission to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
2. What is the cost for electronically scanning my fingerprints or a fingerprint card?
The cost is $59 for both the required OSBI and FBI reports.
Payment information:
- The OSDE will accept credit card payments that have been made online prior to coming to the OSDE or the applicant may pay with a business check, personal check, or money order at the fingerprint location. The payment should be made payable to L-1 Identity Solutions. WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH.
- Credit card payable online by visiting www.l1enrollment.com or to charge by telephone, call (877) 219-0197 for confirmation number. Please remember to bring your confirmation number with you as we will need that number in order to print you.
Mail fingerprint cards and money order or credit card receipt/confirmation number to:
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Teacher Certification, Room 212
2500 North Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599
3. May I submit a background search that was taken for anything other than Oklahoma educator certification?
No. Due to FBI regulations, any initial Oklahoma educator certificate must have a current background search performed directly by the Teacher Certification Section of the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
4. How do I obtain a copy of my fingerprint background report?
FBI requirements will not allow the State Department of Education to send copies of reports; however, you may request a copy from the FBI at <http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/fprequest.htm>.
Background Check for School Employment
1. Where do I go to have my fingerprints taken?
You may have your fingerprints taken according to the following options when doing a background check for School Employment. Please note the price and processing time difference.
Option 1 $59.00 ( 7 Business Days to Process )
You may have your fingerprints taken according to one of the following options.
- Option A: Fingerprints may be taken electronically at the Oklahoma State Department of Education; Teacher Certification, Room 212; 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. This is a walk-in basis location.
- Option B: Fingerprints may be taken at one of our satellite sites located around the state. These sites are an appointment only. You can visit the following website to schedule a appointment www.l1enrollment.com or call (877) 219-0197 to make an appointment. Payment can be made during your appointment or online when scheduling. You will need to fill out Application for National Criminal History Record Check at your district. NOTE: The district must mail or fax the application form to the Oklahoma State Department of Education in order to process background check.
- Option C: You may have a fingerprint card taken at your local sheriff's office or police department to send to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) for scanning and submission to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Please ensure that you attach your Application for National Criminal History Record Check form to the fingerprint cards.
Option 2 $45.00 ( 4-6 Weeks to Process )
- Option A: You must go to your local sheriff's office or police department and have your prints taken on a fingerprint card.
The fee will be $45 payable by school purchase order number, certified check, school check, cashier's check, or money order (public or private schools) payable to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Only public schools and private schools with approved billing accounts at the OSBI may use school purchase orders. THE OSBI WILL NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL CHECKS OR CASH.
- If paying by school purchase order, please include the purchase order number on the line provided in Part III. School districts using a purchase order number will receive a monthly billing statement from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; do not include payment with the search requests.
- The local school district has the option of reimbursing employees the cost of the background check. However, if a person is already employed by a district at the time the background check request is made, the district shall promptly reimburse the employee in full for the fee unless the person was employed pending receipt of the criminal history information check.
Oklahoma State Department of Education National Criminal History Record Check Dual Results Policy
National criminal history record check “Dual Results” refers to background check results obtained by the Oklahoma State Department of Education for teacher certification purposes that may be forwarded to a requesting district for a prospective employee.
Guideline for Dual Results Eligibility
- If an individual is applying for employment in an Oklahoma school district and has had a national criminal history record check completed for Oklahoma teacher certification within the last year, the district may request the results of the check using the Application for National Criminal History Record Check. The district may mail or fax the application to our office at (405)522-1520. The results will be forwarded to the district with a notation of when the background check was completed. It is the determination of the district whether a new background check will be required for employment.
Rejected Fingerprints
Fingerprints are rejected due to poor print quality. The OSBI and FBI will look at the fingerprints and determine if the quality of prints are acceptable. Some fingerprints are smudged when using ink prints and some are worn due to age, exposure to chemicals or continuous paper work or damages due to medical conditions, to name a few. For these reasons, an individual will have to be reprinted in order to try and capture legible prints. The following is the process for reprinting when fingerprints are rejected.
Teacher Certification: When fingerprints are rejected for teacher certification the applicant will receive notification from OSDE that they need to resubmit new prints. The applicant will receive a letter along with instructions on what to do.
School Employment: When fingerprints are rejected for school employment the applicant will need to check with the school district that submitted to background check request. The OSDE will send notification to the school district and in turn the district will notify the applicant that they need to reprint. When an applicant has submitted fingerprints for a second time and they are still rejected, they have the opportunity to go to the OSBI to be reprinted. When an applicant goes to the OSBI, there will be no additional costs to reprint. The applicant must take all original paperwork and the letter from the OSDE to be reprinted at the OSBI.
Sex Offender and Violent Crime Offender Registry
Oklahoma Department of Corrections Web site
Click on "Offenders," then "Offender Lookup" to search by individual's last and first name (or DOC case number if available)
Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Web site
Available in alphabetical and county listing
Oklahoma Probation and Parole Web site
To check parole status, search by offender's DOC case number and last name
Oklahoma State Courts Network Web site
Click on "Court Dockets," then "Search Dockets" to search individual's court cases by county
Oklahoma Sex and Violent Crime Offender Registry Web site
School administrators are reminded of the primary purpose of Senate Bill (SB) 440 (pdf):
"A person whose name appears on this registry has been convicted of a sex offense. Continuing to employ a person whose name appears on this registry may result in civil liability for the employer or criminal prosecution pursuant to Section 589 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes."
SB 440, approved in the 2005 legislative session, gave the state superintendent the authority to access the Sex Offender Registry and the duty to ensure its contents were available for inspection by all school administrators.
Some helpful hints about the Registry:
- It is not necessary to know a person's name to find out if a school's neighbor is a convicted sex offender -- the registry can be searched by state, city, county or zip code for a wider range of results
- In addition to checking this site, you should contact your local police department or sheriff's office for information they may have about known offenders in your community.
- The Oklahoma Department of Corrections updates the registry daily to provide the most complete and accurate information. Through regular correspondence and cooperation with local police departments and sheriff's offices, address and other information is updated to ensure its validity and timeliness.
NOTE: Check "Delinquent registrations" as well. There are more than 1200 registered sex offenders believed to be in violation of the Sex Offenders Registration Act. If you have information as to their whereabouts, please communicate it to us by clicking on the name and entering the information, as well as by notifying your local authorities.
