Most of our partner school districts require background checks of teacher candidates BEFORE they can begin their field experience, and ALL districts require background checks for student teachers. Some forms are listed below.

If you do not see your school district listed or have specific questions regarding background checks, you should reach out to the district office ASAP.

Notify the Office of Teacher Education immediately if you are ineligible to complete you hours at a certain school due to an issue with your background check. You will be scheduled to discuss you situation with the Director of Clinical Experiences. You are not required to disclose your background check report to anyone. However, you may need to share certain information with the Director of Clinical Experiences to identify an alternative solution for placement.

Important to Note

  • The State of Minnesota allows every school/district to require a background check of anyone entering the school or the school grounds.
  • Every school district decides what type of background check and/or drug screening it requires.
  • Every district may set its own eligibility parameters.
  • A Notary Public Signature and/or fee may be required to submit your background check authorization form.
  • Every school district may determine to pass the expense of the check/screening on to the student or it may cover the cost of these checks/screenings.
  • You may have to pay the fee with cash, check, or cashier’s check made out to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension or the district.
  • School districts may or may not accept background checks performed by other districts. Even if they do accept checks performed by other districts, a waiver must always be signed to have one district transfer a report to another district.
  • A background check on file with a particular district is usually good for 12 months from the time it was executed. You may have to authorize another background check even if you have previously visited a certain district.