More than 200 TUSD teachers remain in the classroom after a random audit determined they were working on expired fingerprint clearance cards.
The cards, which are issued through the Arizona Department of Public Safety, must be kept in good-standing in order for a teacher's contract to be valid.
Chief Human Resources Officer Nancy Woll discovered the lapsed cards while checking on how many TUSD employees might be working on expired ones. She began the survey after learning that one employee's card was expired.
By the end of the audit, Woll found 220 employees with expired cards. "My jaw dropped," she said.
Normally, when an employee's card expires, the worker is placed on leave until the paperwork can be processed and proof of a valid fingerprint card is provided.
However, following that procedure in this case would have disrupted hundreds of classrooms.
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As a result, TUSD staff conducted background checks on all 220 employees.
Some had minor traffic infractions, but a red flag came up for one employee who had a recent court conviction. Woll declined to go into detail about the conviction but said it was serious enough to remove the teacher from the classroom. He is now on unpaid leave.
The remaining 219 employees will continue to teach while their paperwork is processed, which may not be completed before the end of the school year.
Those employees will not be given contracts for next school year until they can provide proof of a valid card.
Woll noted that most of the cards had not been expired for long periods of time. The cards are valid for six years, and it is the teacher's responsibility to renew them.
"The reason for the fingerprint clearance card is to protect our students," Woll said. "But I do feel we maintained the safety without disrupting the educational environment."
Woll said she intends to conduct more frequent checks of fingerprint clearance cards from now on.
Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at 573-4175 or ahuicochea@azstarnet.com
