Criminal Background Checks

Op7.05 Criminal Background Check Policy

  • It is the policy of Missouri State University that all new fulltime hires ("Applicants"), select volunteers identified by the administration, and student hourly positions, part-time and temporary employees in "sensitive positions" as defined in Section II, below, will be subject to a criminal background check as a condition of appointment.
  • Criminal background checks (including the sexual offender registry) shall be completed on finalists. The background check vendor provides the results of the background checks to the Office of Human Resources (HR), which then notifies the responsible major administrator such as the President, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor or Provost on the status of the background check (see Section III.c.).
  • All new per course faculty shall complete an online Application, an I-9 form, and undergo a criminal background check. Evidence of a conviction does not automatically disqualify an applicant. However, if an individual has a criminal history, the University will consider the following factors before finalizing an offer of employment: the nature and gravity of the offense; the time since the conviction/completion of the sentence; and the nature of the job held or sought and the relatedness of the conviction(s) to the duties and responsibilities of the position. If an offer has already been extended and/or employment has commenced, upon consideration of these issues, the division or major administrator may rescind the offer and/or recommend the termination of employment.
  • Information collected will be treated confidentially.
  • Missouri State University, in its sole discretion, may also conduct a background check on any existing employee at any time for any reason that does not constitute discrimination on the basis of a protected class as defined by federal or Missouri law.
  • Missouri State University will abide by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Missouri Human Rights Act and all applicable laws to ensure individuals are not discriminated against.

I. Hiring

Missouri State University departments will incorporate the following steps into their hiring process. All full-time positions and some part-time will require a criminal background check.

  1. Announcing a Vacancy – All online job postings or vacancy announcements (including ads) will contain the following statement:
    "Employment will require a criminal background check at University Expense"
    This statement will be included in the campus human resources systems for insertion in all position materials.
  2. Applicant Notice and Authorization Form – Once HR is notified through either the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or by the hiring department that a finalist for a faculty, staff, or select volunteer position is identified, HR submits a request to the background check vendor. Residence Life submits its own requests for its student employee applicants. The request must be completed prior to a job offer or first date of appointment is made, unless an expedited offer is made consistent with Section I.c. below. The hiring department must notify the Office of Human Resources as soon as possible if an expedited offer is being made for the hire. The individual will be notified to complete and sign the appropriate authorization form(s). If the individual declines to sign the authorization form(s), he or she will no longer be considered.
  3. Offering a Position – Conditional offers of employment may be extended verbally to final candidates prior to a formal offer of employment being extended. In most cases, only the finalist being offered the position will be checked. However, there may be circumstances where more than one applicant is checked (e.g., President, Vice President, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor search). See Section III, below, for a description of the process, including notification of a positive criminal history.

II. Sensitive positions

All new hires, promotions, transfers or select volunteers identified by the administration (including student hourly and part-time) to sensitive positions as defined below shall be subject to a criminal background check. Hiring departments are responsible for identifying employees who will be working in sensitive positions. Departments should notify HR and provide them the information required to request a background check from the vendor. Sensitive positions shall include the following individuals who:

  1. Have Fiduciary Responsibilities including ability to move funds between accounts, use university funds routinely to purchase items/services, handle more than nominal amounts of cash ($5,000+), work with grant funding that can be transferred between accounts, and/or be responsible for auditing fiduciary activities.
  2. Work with Vulnerable Populations including:
    • Disabled
    • Elderly
    • Patients
    • Research Animals
  3. Work at Greenwood Laboratory School, the Child Development Center, summer camps or work in programs that require or allow for the unsupervised provision of services directly to minors who are not enrolled students of the university.
  4. Work with Select Agents (Hazardous Materials) in which federal requirements mandate criminal background checks.
  5. Work in the residence halls including but not limited to: resident assistants, hall directors and graduate assistants.
  6. Provide Police and Security Services including perimeter security, sworn officer activities, and management of police functions.
  7. Operate Campus Vehicles where a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) is required, or employee drives a campus vehicle as a regular part of their functions.
  8. Have Network/Database Responsibilities that include the ability to access sensitive data (e.g., LAN Administrator, Database Administrator, etc.).
  9. Have Property Access through assigned functions requiring the use of master building keys that provide direct access to students and campus resources. Positions with these responsibilities might include department chairs, custodians, department administrators, law enforcement personnel, building managers, facilities and maintenance staff, research specialists, and skilled craft workers.
  10. Work at the Health and Wellness Center, Physical Therapy Clinic, or Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic in any position having access to protected health information, whether via medical records, billing records, or otherwise.
  11. Serve in positions designated as sensitive positions by the President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor, appropriate Vice President or Provost.

III. Conducting criminal background checks

Criminal background checks will be conducted and managed by the Office of Human Resources. Human Resources will identify at least one employee as the university’s Background Check Coordinator (BCC). This individual will initiate the background check vendor request for an applicant, employee, or select volunteer identified by the administration to complete the appropriate release form(s), submit required information to the background check vendor to conduct the background check, maintain the background check reports for the personnel file, and report results of background checks as required by policy. A key component of this role involves keeping information confidential except on a need-to-know basis.

a. Process for Completing Background Check for Full-time New Hires, Personnel Actions, and Sensitive Positions – The Office of Human Resources will process background checks for all full-time positions and for promotions; transfers; part-time positions and select volunteers identified as sensitive positions by the administration and according to the background check policy. The BCC will request that the finalist (including individuals with a contingent employment offer under Section I.c.) provide any necessary authorizations and/or additional information needed to complete the background check. If the finalist refuses to sign the necessary waivers and/or provide additional information, he or she will be eliminated from further consideration for the position.

b. Process for Completing Background Check for Existing Employees – Requests to obtain a background check on an existing employee shall be made to the Office of Human Resources by the President, Vice President, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor, or other responsible major administrator who supervises the position.

Standards for conducting Background Checks

  • Minimum Criminal Background Check will be conducted by the chosen University vendor. This check will provide information on misdemeanor and felony convictions and sexual offender registry in the state of Missouri on every finalist. A driver's check or other specific checks will be conducted if required for the position.
  • Out of State Checks should be done for the last seven years if the final candidate has an employment history outside of Missouri or has lived outside the state.
  • International Checks shall be conducted on non-United States citizens who have been in the United States for less than seven (7) years. University may rely on FBI checks conducted during the Visa process for international criminal history.
  • Credit Report Checks with Background Check process may be conducted due to the nature of a particular position.
    • Consistent with the Red Flag Regulation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the University will notify the background check vendor if the address of the applicant is different from that returned on the credit check report.
    • The background check vendor will then notify the credit bureau company of the applicant's correct address, as required by the FCRA.

c. Making Hiring Decisions Regarding Applicants

  • Relevant criminal background information will be limited to felony convictions, sexual offenses, and driving while intoxicated, except where other misdemeanor convictions may be significant in the sole discretion of the University.
  • If the criminal record check indicates there are no convictions, the vendor shall inform the Office of Human Resources who in turn shall inform the President, Vice President, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor or other responsible major administrator and the hiring department that the candidate is viable for employment.
  • If the criminal record check indicates there are convictions, the vendor shall inform the Office of Human Resources. Human Resources shall notify the Office of General Counsel and shall follow the adverse action procedures.
    • HR shall review the report and shall evaluate each conviction, including any additional information that the individual provides before the offer of employment is confirmed or withdrawn. HR shall consult with the Office of General Counsel and the President, Vice President, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor or other responsible major administrator, as necessary. The existence of a conviction does not automatically disqualify an individual from employment. Factors to be considered are: the nature and gravity of the offense; the time since the conviction/completion of the sentence; and the nature of the job held or sought and the relatedness of the conviction(s) to the duties and responsibilities of the position. Any decision to accept or reject an individual with a conviction is solely at the discretion of the University.

d. Making Disciplinary Decisions Regarding Existing Employees

  • If the criminal record check indicates there are no convictions, the vendor shall inform the Office of Human Resources, who in turn shall inform the President, Vice President, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor or other responsible major administrator and the hiring department that the employee has no convictions.
  • If the criminal record check indicates there are convictions, the vendor shall inform the Office of Human Resources. Human Resources shall then determine whether the convictions were previously discovered during the employee’s initial hiring process, or whether the convictions present new information not previously known by the University. Employees must notify the Office of Human Resources within five (5) days of an arrest for a felony, a misdemeanor (excluding traffic violations), or any drug, alcohol, or sex-related offense. Failure to report such arrest is grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or non-selection of an applicant. If the arrest represents new information, Human Resources may notify the President, Vice President, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chancellor, the supervising department and Office of General Counsel.
  • The employee may be subject to progressive discipline up to and including termination from employment, unless the individual proves that the report is in error. The decision to discipline or terminate an individual with a conviction is solely at the discretion of the University.

e. Adverse Action Procedures

  • Before the University takes any adverse action based in whole or in part on the results of the criminal background check, Human Resources must provide the individual a pre-adverse action disclosure (pre-adverse letter) with the following:
    • the name, address, and phone number of the vendor that supplied the report
    • a copy of the individual’s consumer report; and
    • a copy of “A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act”.
  • The University must wait five (5) business days before taking any adverse action after notifying the individual to give the applicant an opportunity to refute the information.
  • After the University takes the adverse action, it must provide the individual notice (post-adverse letter) with the following:
    • the name, address, and phone number of the vendor that supplied the report
    • a statement that the vendor that supplied the report did not make the decision to take the adverse action and cannot give specific reasons for it; and
    • a notice of the individual’s right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of any information the agency furnished, and his or her right to an additional free consumer report from the agency upon request within 60 days.

f. Keeping Records – Records obtained as a result of a criminal background check will be kept by the Office of Human Resources. These records will include:

  • Authorization Form
  • Information collected from the check
  • Analysis and decision regarding any convictions
  • Correspondence related to criminal background check

These records will be securely maintained during the duration of employment and in accordance with state retention policy.

The University shall provide for proper disposal of these records pursuant to applicable federal law.

IV. Other background checks/evaluations

Other types of background checks and/or evaluations may be utilized due to the nature of the particular positions. Hiring departments or offices should request approval from the Office of Human Resources to ensure these tools are justifiable and appropriate along with ensuring the appropriate authorizations are requested from the individual.

Any questions related to this policy, including interpretations and resource locations, should be directed to the Office of Human Resources.