2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 20 - EDUCATION (§§ 20-1-1 — 20-18-7) › Chapter 1A - EARLY CARE AND LEARNING (§§ 20-1A-1 — 20-1A-45) › Article 2 - BACKGROUND CHECKS (§§ 20-1A-30 — 20-1A-45) › Section 20-1A-39 - Potential employees; current employees and directors; comprehensive records check requirements; satisfactory determination; liability for hiring ineligible employee

(a)
Before a person may become an employee of any early care and education program after that early care and education program has received a license or commission, that early care and education program shall require that person to obtain a comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory. All potential employees, excluding students currently enrolled in an early education curriculum through an accredited school of higher education, may submit evidence, satisfactory to the department, that the potential employee received a comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory and that includes a records check clearance date that is no more than 12 months old, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
, or that any potential employee whose comprehensive records check revealed a criminal record of any kind has either subsequently received a comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory or has had the unsatisfactory determination reversed in accordance with Code Section
20-1A-43
, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
. A student currently enrolled in an early education curriculum through an accredited school of higher education may submit evidence, satisfactory to the department, that the student received a comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory and that includes a records check clearance date that is no more than 24 months old, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
, or that such student whose comprehensive records check determination revealed a criminal record of any kind has either subsequently received a comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory or has had the unsatisfactory determination reversed in accordance with Code Section
20-1A-43
, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
. The licensed or commissioned early care and education program shall maintain documentation in the employee's personnel file, which is available to the department upon request, which reflects that a comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory was received before the employee is eligible to be present at a facility while children are present for care or to reside in a facility. If the comprehensive records check determination for any potential employee reveals a criminal record of any kind, such potential employee shall be ineligible to be present at a facility while children are present for care or to reside in a facility until such potential employee has either obtained a comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory or has had the unsatisfactory comprehensive records check determination reversed in accordance with Code Section
20-1A-43
, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
. If the comprehensive records check determination is unsatisfactory, the licensed or commissioned early care and education program shall, after receiving notification of such unsatisfactory determination, take such immediate steps as are necessary so that such person is no longer present at the facility while children are present for care and no longer resides in the facility. The department shall revoke the license or commission of an early care and education program if the early care and education program fails to comply with the requirements of this Code section. The time frames set forth in this subsection shall not apply when fingerprints have been retained by the department due to its participation in the program described in subparagraph (a)(1)(F) of Code Section
35-3-33
.
(b)
Effective January 1, 2019, every employee and director of any licensed or commissioned early care and education program shall undergo additional comprehensive records check determinations such that the time between such additional comprehensive records check determinations and that employee's or director's previous comprehensive records check determination shall not exceed five years except when fingerprints have been retained by the department due to its participation in the program described in subparagraph (a)(1)(F) of Code Section
35-3-33
, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
. The early care and education program shall maintain documentation in the appropriate personnel file, which is available to the department immediately upon request, indicating that such person has obtained such current comprehensive records check determination that is satisfactory or has had an unsatisfactory comprehensive records check determination reversed in accordance with Code Section
20-1A-43
, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
. The department shall revoke the license or commission of an early care and education program if the early care and education program fails to comply with the requirements of this Code section.
(c)
A license or commission shall be subject to revocation and the department may refuse to issue a license or commission if a director or employee does not undergo the comprehensive records check determination applicable to that director or employee and receive acceptable determinations.
(d)
After the issuance of a license, commission, or permit, the department may require additional comprehensive records check determinations on any director or employee when the department has reason to believe the director or employee has a criminal record that renders the director or employee ineligible to have contact with children in the early care and education program, or during the course of a child abuse investigation involving the director or employee.
(e)
No licensed or commissioned early care and education program may allow any person to be present at a facility while children are present for care or to reside in a facility as a director or an employee unless there is on file in the early care and education program an employment history and a satisfactory comprehensive records check determination or proof that an unsatisfactory determination has been reversed in accordance with Code Section
20-1A-43
, notwithstanding Code Section
20-1A-45
. The department shall revoke the license or commission of any early care and education program if the early care and education program fails to comply with the requirements of this Code section.
(f)
A license holder, commission holder, permit holder, or director of a licensed, commissioned, or permitted early care and education program that allows an employee or director about whom such license holder, commission holder, permit holder, or director knows or should reasonably know to have a criminal record that renders the employee or director ineligible to have contact with children to be present at a facility while children are present for care or to reside in a facility shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Amended by 2019 Ga. Laws 321,§ 20, eff. 5/12/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ga. Laws 561,§ 11, eff. 7/1/2018.
Amended by 2018 Ga. Laws 411,§ 2-5, eff. 7/1/2018.
Amended by 2015 Ga. Laws 163,§ 2, eff. 1/1/2016.
Amended by 2013 Ga. Laws 126,§ 2, eff. 1/1/2014.
Added by 2004 Ga. Laws 565, § 1, eff. 10/1/2004.