Standard 4.A-1 of the ARKANSAS DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION RULES GOVERNING STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITATION OF ARKANSAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS requires that each public school district shall not employ personnel, whether licensed or non-licensed, who have not successfully completed background checks in accordance with the laws of the State of Arkansas and the rules of the Division.  This includes teachers contracted through third-party digital providers. The district and provider must coordinate to provide accurate and timely data regarding teachers providing instruction via digital courses.  

Requirements for Digital Learning Providers

The school district and digital learning provider should enter into an agreement outlining the responsibilities of each party regarding background checks for all teachers providing instruction regardless if the instruction is synchronous or asynchronous.  

Digital Learning Provider Responsibilities

The digital learning provider is responsible for ensuring that their employed teachers have a complete and up-to-date background check (updated every 5 years) and that their current legal name is accurately reflected in the Arkansas Educator Licensure System (AELS).  Annually, by September 15th at the latest, the provider will send a list of its teachers assigned to the district to the district's designated contact person. The district must be notified any time the information changes throughout the year.  The list of digital learning teachers will contain the following: 

1) Digital learning teacher’s legal name as shown in AELS 

2) Case ID as shown in AELS

3) Last 4 digits of the teacher's SSN

4) Date of birth

Public School District Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the public school district to enter the legal name, DOB, last 4 of the SSN  and accurate Case ID of the digital learning teacher into eSchool staff information. Case IDs are issued once the background check is initiated. All teachers not currently teaching a course in the district should be made inactive in eSchool. In the Course SIS data screen for each course section the digital learning teacher is teaching the following information must be correct: 

1. Digital Learning Checkbox
2. Digital Learning Type
3. Digital Learning Provider
4. Digital Delivery

Requirements for Concurrent Credit Instructors Employed by an Arkansas Institution of Higher Education (IHE)

The school district and IHE  must enter into a written and signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)  outlining the responsibilities of each party regarding background checks for all teachers providing instruction regardless if the instruction is synchronous or asynchronous.  

IHE Responsibilities

 It is the responsibility of the IHE to ensure that instructors employed by the IHE have a complete up-to-date (every 5 years) approved background check provided by the IHE. 

Public School District Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the public school district to enter the name “Concurrent Credit”,  SSN of 999999999 into the eSchool staff catalog.  All teachers not currently teaching a course in the district should be made inactive in eSchool. The concurrent credit course should have the college credit flag checked and the institution identified in the master schedule course SIS data screen.  If the concurrent credit course is taught digitally, the following information must be accurate on the Course SIS data screen for each applicable course section in the master schedule:

1. Digital Learning Checkbox
2. Digital Learning Type
3. Digital Learning Provider
4. Digital Delivery