New Jersey § 18a:12-1

§ 18a:12-1.

a. Each member of any board of education, within 30 days of election or appointment

to that board, shall undergo a criminal history background investigation for the purpose

of ensuring that the member is not disqualified from membership due to a conviction

of a crime or offense listed in N.J.S.18A:12-1 . b. A member of a board of education shall submit to the Commissioner of Education

his or her name, address and fingerprints taken in accordance with procedures established

by the commissioner. The Commissioner of Education is hereby authorized to exchange fingerprint data

with and receive criminal history record information from the federal Bureau of Investigation

and the Division of State Police for use in making the determinations required by

this act. 1 A member shall furnish his or her written consent to such a check as a condition

of holding the office of school board member. The member shall bear the cost for the criminal history record check, including

all costs for administering and processing the check, except that an elected member

may use unexpended campaign funds to pay such costs. The board of education may reimburse the member for the cost of the criminal history

record check, including all costs for administering and processing the check. c. The Commissioner of Education is authorized to: receive all criminal history data necessary to complete the criminal history records

check as required pursuant to this section; receive all data in accordance with this section on charges pending against a member

of a board of education who has previously undergone a criminal history records check;

and adjust the fees set by the Department of Education for the criminal history records

checks. d. Upon receipt of the criminal history record information for a member of a board

of education from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Division of State Police,

the Commissioner of Education shall notify the member, in writing, of the member's

qualification or disqualification from holding the office of member of a board of

education. If the member is disqualified, the convictions which constitute the basis for the

disqualification shall be identified in the written notice to the member. The member shall have 14 days from the date of the written notice of disqualification

to challenge the accuracy of the criminal history record information. If no challenge is filed or if the determination of the accuracy of the criminal

history record information upholds the disqualification, the commissioner shall notify

the member's board of education that the member has been disqualified from membership

on the board. e. The commissioner is authorized to share all criminal history record information

of a member received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the State Bureau

of Identification with the appropriate court in order to obtain copies of the judgment

of conviction and such other documents as the commissioner deems necessary to confirm

the completeness and accuracy of the record. f. Following qualification for membership on a board of education pursuant to this

section, the State Bureau of Identification shall immediately forward to the Commissioner

of Education any information which the bureau receives on a charge pending against

a member. If the charge is for one of the crimes or offenses enumerated in N.J.S.18A:12-1 , the commissioner shall notify the member's board of education, and the board shall

take appropriate action. If the pending charge results in conviction, the member shall be disqualified for

continued membership. g. The Commissioner of Education shall permanently maintain the criminal record and

application documents on a member of a board of education. All documents submitted by a candidate and all criminal history record information

shall be maintained by the commissioner in a confidential manner. 1

L.2011, c. 72.