Have you been denied Educator Certification because of DCF troubles?
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 Central Abuse and Neglect 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 an Investigation, parents would receive a form letter from a Social Worker 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 Substantiation resulted in automatic placement on the Central Registry. The 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 now. 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.
Connecticut DCF Appeals
I represent clients in all DCF related matters though out Fairfield County including those who reside in Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Trumbull, Stratford, Bridgeport, Westport, Weston, New Canaan, Wilton, Norwalk, Darien, Stamford and Greenwich.
Contact me online or call me in my Fairfield office at (203) 259-5251 or in my Stamford office at (203) 356-1475 to schedule a consultation to discuss a denial of educator certification and what the best available options are for you.