• 12
  • April
    2012

New law creating big troubles - Public Act 11-93.  

Teachers (and other professionals who require certification) are now required to sign an authorization allowing the Board of Education to check to see if their name appears on the DCF Abuse Registry.  And you guessed it - if your name appears on the Registry, you cannot be certified. 

Incredibly, many teachers (and certainly countless others) are on Central Registry without even knowing it!  But how could this be?

The problem lies with the way DCF "informed" parents of the investigation results prior to 2005.

Back then, at the conclusion of a DCF Investigation, parents would receive a form letter from DCF informing them of the results of the investigation.  The letter further advised the parents how to appeal the Substantiation.  Seems fair.  Ah but it wasn't.

See, prior to 2005, a DCF Substantiation resulted in automatic placement on the Central Registry.  The DCF letter contained no language whatsoever about the Central Registry or its implications.  Undoubtedly, if it did, many parents would have appealed their Substantiations.

So - fast forward to 2012.  Teachers are applying for their certification.  And then bam!  Unsuspecting parents suddenly find out that some old, minor dust up with DCF from years ago is about to cost them their livelihood.

Thankfully, DCF has a procedure in place to appeal the Central Registry placement. 

Here is the new law:

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RESPONSE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO REPORTS OF CH