Background Checks

A background check(s) must be conducted on all university faculty, staff, appointees, students, student employees, graduate assistants, and volunteers working for programs for minors (individuals under the age of 18 or under 21 years old if incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability) as follows:

1. Any faculty, staff, appointee, student, student employee, graduate assistant, or volunteer working with a program(s), who is likely to have responsibility for the care, custody, or control of a minor as part of a program (“individual required to be background checked”), must have a Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation fingerprint background check (“BCI check”) completed before the program begins.
2. An individual required to be background checked who has not lived in Ohio within the previous five years must have both a BCI check and a Federal Bureau of Investigation Background Check (“FBI check”).
3. Where required by law or where the individual is required to be background checked is engaged at a facility or as part of a program that involves the use of showering, changing or sleeping facilities, the individual must have both a BCI check and an FBI check.
4. Individuals required to be background checked that have a break in service for less than 12 months must disclose on the human resources Arrest or Conviction Self-Disclosure Form [WORD] any arrests or convictions that occurred during the break prior to rehire. If a break in service is longer than 12 months, individuals required to be background checked must have a new BCI check prior to rehire and an FBI check must also be completed prior to rehire if the individual required to be background checked lived in a state other than Ohio during the break in service.
5. A BCI check must be completed every four years to remain eligible to work with programs.
   - All individuals required to be background checked must accurately disclose on the human resources Arrest or Conviction Self-Disclosure Form [WORD] any arrests, felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions, or pleas of guilty of no contest (nolo contendere) that occur after hire or after being accepted as a volunteer within three days of the arrest or conviction.
   - Failure of an individual to disclose will be grounds for discipline up to and including termination.

6. All individuals required to be background checked must also be checked against the national sex offender registry annually. University Human Resources will perform these checks for faculty and staff.

   To request a National Sex Offender Registry Check for a student employee, please email the following information to uhr@ohio.edu :

   * "I am requesting a National Sex Offender Registry Check”
   * Name of employee to be checked
   * Email of employee to be checked
   * A valid university account number for billing (each check is currently $6.05)
   

7. Parental consent must be given for the background check(s) in the case of an individual under the age of 18 requiring a check.
8. A third party vendor background check, including those required at the time of hire for university employees, is insufficient for individuals requiring a background check.
9. Units or programs may require background checks on broader categories of individuals than just those who are likely to have responsibility for the care, custody, or control of a minor as part of a program provided there is a business or risk justification, that checks are made consistently across specific positions and the documented background check program has been approved by university human resources.
10. Units must perform background checks on individuals as required by law. Background checks must be completed and reviewed by the Office of Risk Management before any individual required to be background checked can be hired or otherwise selected by the unit.
11. Offenses that will disqualify an individual from working with a program include those listed on the human resources Arrest or Conviction Self-Disclosure Form [WORD] or a violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed.
12. If the university denies an individual required to be background checked a position based on BCI check or FBI check results, university human resources will follow proper protocols to provide notice to the subject of the background check.

Will employee/volunteer have responsibility for the care, custody, or control of a minor as part of a program? If yes, proceed to next step to determine the type of background check needed. If no, no background check is needed at this time.

Steps to Obtain a Background Check

1. At Ohio University, Bobcat Depot offers background checks. Find more information on the Bobcat Depot website(opens in a new window) . For those who are not on the Athens Campus, find your location at Webcheck® Locations(opens in a new window) .
2. Send an email to your program faculty, staff, appointees, students, student employees, graduate assistants, and volunteers and include:
   1. The account number to bill the BCI and/or FBI checks to;
   2. Write Ohio Revised Code Section 5104.013 into the form for Ohio BCI background checks and NCPA/VCA for FBI background checks; and
   3. The address where all BCI/FBI background check results must be sent for review is: Ohio University, Attn: Risk Management C/O Larry Wines, Grosvenor 248, 1 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701
   4. Do not forget that the program directors also must have proper background checks.
3. Accepting and Distributing Background Check Results:
   • Current or prospective employees or volunteers have the right to obtain a copy of the criminal history records, if any, contained in the report, of the right to challenge the accuracy and completeness of any information contained in any such report, and to obtain a determination as to the validity of such challenge before a final determination regarding the person is made by Ohio University in reviewing the criminal history information. Information on these rights may be obtained by contacting BCI, Identification Division, P.O Box 365 London, Ohio 43140, or by contacting the FBI, regarding federal/national records, at FBI, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Attn: SCU, MOD D-2, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306, (304) 625-3878.
   • A copy of background check results maybe be obtained by emailing Lori Markins at markinsl@ohio.edu with a copy to Larry Wines at wines@ohio.edu . The employee or volunteer would then stop by Grosvenor 248 where they will have the results in an envelope with the employee or volunteer’s name and date/time to be picked up. Upon showing photo ID to the ESC staff, the employee or volunteer will receive the envelope containing the results.
   • We may accept background check results only from other entities if legally provided as long as the individual required to be background checked meets the timing and residency requirements above and used ORC Section 5104.013, 2151.86 or 3319.39.
   • Ohio University may not duplicate and/or disseminate criminal history records for use outside of our organization except as authorized by state and federal law.  Sharing of criminal history records with other qualified entities is permitted by the FBI provided that:
     • Such other entity is authorized to receive criminal history record information derived from the system of the U.S. Department of Justice in the manner specified herein and the other entity’s qualifying status is verified; and
     • The individual required to be background checked properly listed “NCPA/VCA VOLUNTEER” or “NCPA/VCA EMPLOYEE” in the “reason fingerprinted” block of the fingerprint card User submitted to BCI for the applicable current or prospective employee or volunteer.