FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
     
    S
      
    TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
     
    T. WILLARD FAIR,
    Chairman
    Members
    DONNA G. CALLAWAY
    DR. AKSHAY DESAI
    ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
    PHOEBE RAULERSON
    KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
    LINDA K. TAYLOR
     
    Commissioner of Education
      
     
      
     
      
     
     
     
     
     
      
     
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
    Contact Person:
    David LaJeunesse
    850/245-0615
    David.lajeunesse@fldoe.org
    K-12: 2007-114
    MEMORANDUM
     
     
    TO:
    District School Superintendents
    Personnel Directors
    Certification Officers
     
      
      
    FROM:
    Cheri Pierson Yecke, Ph.D.
     
    DATE:
    June 29, 2007
     
    SUBJECT:
    Educator Certification Fingerprint Processing Fee Increase
     
     
    We are pleased to announce that beginning August 1, 2007, the Bureau of Educator Certification
    (BEC) will be able to process fingerprint cards via a newly installed digital card scanning
    system. This card scanning system will be supported and maintained by Cogent Systems, Inc.,
    as the overall contract provider for the Florida Department of Education Automated Fingerprint
    Applicant Processing System (AFAPS).
     
    Until now, the BEC has manually processed these fingerprint cards by mailing them to the FDLE
    who returns the background screening results via postal service. This manual process has been
    cumbersome and inefficient. With the adoption of this more automated process, background
    screening for these educator certification applicants should now be completed within similar
    timeframes as that of public school employees already being processed via digital fingerprint
    scanning. This means that the wait-time for processing results will be reduced from two to three
    months to less than three days.
     
    As a result of this change, the cost of BEC fingerprint processing services will increase from $53
    to $61, commensurate with the base cost for AFAPS fingerprint processing. Payment of this
    nonrefundable processing fee must be included via check or money order payable to the
    Department of Education when the fingerprint card is submitted.
    CHERI PIERSON YECKE, PH.D.
    CHANCELLOR, K-12 PUBLIC
    SCHOOLS
    325 W. GAINES STREET •SUITE 514 •TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0509 • www.fldoe.org
     
    Memorandum
    June 29, 2007
    Page Two
     
     
    The BEC provides this service to applicants who are employed by Florida state-supported and
    non-public schools or who are directly eligible for the Florida Professional certificate to satisfy
    the educator certification eligibility requirement for background screening pursuant to Section
    1012.56 (9) F.S. The appropriate hard copy fingerprint cards for completing this process shall
    continue to be provided by the BEC directly to these applicants or their qualified employers.
    Once properly completed and returned with payment, the BEC will scan the cards for electronic
    submission to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for background screening at
    the state and national level. Notification to the BEC that the results are available will be
    provided electronically by FDLE via its Certified Mail electronic application.
     
    We look forward to the improved timeliness and efficiency that this enhancement will provide
    for certification applicants for which the BEC provides this service. If you have any questions,
    please contact David C. LaJeunesse, Director of Operations, Bureau of Educator Certification by
    phone or via email.
     
    CPY/dl

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