Filing of background checks
susanmiller
1 Post
I work in a school district and our employees either need a background check from the state troopers or fingerprints sent to the FBI. When the results are returned to the district, should these results be in the employee's regular personnel file, or should they be in a separate files, as the I9s are? Thanks for any input.
Comments
In Virginia any organization that handles EMS responses and transports are required to perform a criminal background check including criminal history, driving records and sex offender listings. We are required to keep the records concerning background checks in a confidential file. We do not place this information in the employee's general file.
12 VAC 5-31-540. Personnel records.
Background check records can contain confidential information, so you want to make sure you take steps to limit access to them. They should be kept separate from the general personnel file.
It depends on how secure your employee files are. Who can see them? If anybody on the business side (e.g., supervisors or department managers) can see them, then definitely no. If access within HR isn't heavily restricted, then I wouldn't take the risk of exposing the info, either. Privacy and the employer's duty to protect it is becoming increasingly important.