2006 Code of Virginia § 22.1-296.4 - Child abuse and neglect data required

22.1-296.4. Child abuse and neglect data required.

A. On and after July 1, 1997, every school board shall require, as acondition of employment, that any applicant who is offered or acceptsemployment requiring direct contact with students, whether full-time orpart-time, permanent or temporary, provide written consent and the necessarypersonal information for the school board to obtain a search of the registryof founded complaints of child abuse and neglect maintained by the Departmentof Social Services pursuant to 63.2-1515. The school board shall ensurethat all such searches are requested in conformance with the regulations ofthe Board of Social Services. The applicant may be required to pay the costof the search at the discretion of the school board. From such funds as maybe available for this purpose, however, the school board may pay for thesearch.

The Department of Social Services shall respond to such request by the schoolboard in cases where there is no match within the central registry regardingapplicants for employment within ten business days of receipt of suchrequest. In cases where there is a match within the central registryregarding applicants for employment, the Department of Social Services shallrespond to such request by the school board within thirty business days ofreceipt of such request. The response may be by first-class mail or facsimiletransmission.

B. If an applicant is denied employment because of information appearing onhis record in the registry, the school board shall provide a copy of theinformation obtained from the registry to the applicant. The informationprovided to the school board by the Department of Social Services shall beconfidential and shall not be disseminated by the school board.

(1997, c. 103; 2000, cc. 95, 734.)