Criminal Background Checks & Rap Back Program Compliance

Schools in Missouri are required to obtain fingerprints for staff members to help ensure the safety and well-being of students. State law mandates that criminal background checks be conducted on individuals authorized to have contact with pupils. This requirement is part of a broader effort to protect vulnerable populations, particularly children in school settings.

In Missouri, the State Rap Back Program has been available since July 2016. At that time, participation was limited to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and public schools, as outlined in Section 168.133 RSMo.

On August 28, 2018, Section 43.540 RSMo expanded eligibility, allowing Missouri to offer both state and national Rap Back participation to all authorized agencies. With the passage of House Bill 1350, codified as Section 43.540 RSMo, Missouri became the third state to participate in the national Rap Back Program.

The Rap Back Program was developed in response to concerns from state and federal agencies about the limitations of one-time criminal history background checks for individuals in positions of trust. The program helps bridge the gap between current and potential risk by providing ongoing background monitoring for individuals entrusted to serve Missouri’s most vulnerable populations. Once an individual is fingerprinted for an agency and enrolled in Rap Back, any new arrests generate automatic notifications, eliminating the need for routine re-fingerprinting when rechecks are required.

Missouri law requires that a school district or charter school ensure a criminal background check is conducted for any individual employed after January 1, 2005, who is authorized to have contact with pupils, and that this check is completed prior to the individual having any contact with students.

While Saint Louis Public Schools has fulfilled the required criminal background checks for staff, compliance with Rap Back enrollment requirements has not been fully met for employees who were fingerprinted prior to 2016. All staff must be subscribed to the Rap Back Central Repository to ensure full compliance with current state requirements.

To address this, the Human Resources team will visit school buildings and district offices to schedule fingerprinting appointments for employees who are not currently enrolled in the Rap Back Program. The district will cover the cost of fingerprinting. HR will also contact impacted employees directly with additional information and next steps following this general communication.