Special procedures for certification

§ 3004-b. Special procedures for certification. 1. Criminal history records search. Upon receipt of an application for certification as a superintendent of schools, teacher, administrator or supervisor, teaching assistant or school personnel required to hold a teaching or administrative license or certificate, the commissioner shall, subject to the rules and regulations of the division of criminal justice services, initiate a criminal history records search of the person making application, except that nothing in this section shall be construed to require a criminal history record check of an individual who holds a valid provisional certificate on the effective date of this section and applies for permanent certification in the same certificate title, or of an individual who applies for a temporary license to serve in the city school district of the city of New York and has been cleared for licensure and/or employment by such city school district pursuant to subdivision twenty of section twenty-five hundred ninety-h of this chapter. Prior to initiating the fingerprinting process, the commissioner shall furnish the applicant with the form described in paragraph (c) of subdivision thirty of section three hundred five of this chapter and shall obtain the applicant's consent to the criminal history records search. The commissioner shall obtain from each applicant two sets of fingerprints and the division of criminal justice services processing fee imposed pursuant to subdivision eight-a of section eight hundred thirty-seven of the executive law and any fee imposed by the federal bureau of investigation. The commissioner shall promptly transmit such fingerprints and fees to the division of criminal justice services for its full search and retain processing. The division of criminal justice services is authorized to submit the fingerprints and the appropriate fee to the federal bureau of investigation for a national criminal history record check. The division of criminal justice services and the federal bureau of investigation shall forward such criminal history record to the commissioner in a timely manner. For the purposes of this section the term "criminal history record" shall mean a record of all convictions of crimes and any pending criminal charges maintained on an individual by the division of criminal justice services and the federal bureau of investigation. In addition, upon request from an applicant who has applied for employment with the city school district of the city of New York, the commissioner shall have the authority to forward a copy of such criminal history record to the city school district of the city of New York by the most expeditious means available. Furthermore, upon notification that such applicant is employed by the city school district of the city of New York, the division of criminal justice services shall have the authority to provide subsequent criminal history notifications directly to the city school district of the city of New York. Upon request from an applicant who has already been cleared for licensure and/or employment by the city school district of the city of New York, such school district shall have the authority to forward a copy of the applicant's criminal history record to the commissioner, by the most expeditious means available, for the purposes of this section. Furthermore, upon notification that such applicant has been certified, the division of criminal justice services shall have the authority to provide subsequent criminal history notifications directly to the commissioner. All such criminal history records processed and sent pursuant to this subdivision shall be confidential pursuant to the applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations, and shall not be published or in any way disclosed to persons other than the commissioner, unless otherwise authorized by law. No cause of action against the department or the division of criminal justice services for damages related to the dissemination of criminal history records pursuant to this subdivision shall exist when the department or division of criminal justice services has reasonably and in good faith relied upon the accuracy and completeness of criminal history information furnished to it by qualified agencies. The provision of such criminal history record by the division of criminal justice services shall be subject to the provisions of subdivision sixteen of section two hundred ninety-six of the executive law. The commissioner shall consider such criminal history record pursuant to article twenty-three-A of the correction law.

2. Fees. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the commissioner is authorized to charge additional fees to applicants for teaching or administrative licenses or certificates in an amount equal to the fees established pursuant to law by the division of criminal justice services and the federal bureau of investigation for the searches mandated by this section.