Existing law authorizes the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to offer a work-based learning program upon application to and with the approval of the Superintendent of Education. An application to offer a work-based learning program must include the qualifications of a pupil to participate in the work-based learning program. Such qualifications must allow a majority of pupils to be eligible to participate in the work-based learning program. (NRS 389.167) Section 1 of this bill provides instead that such qualifications must allow a majority of pupils who are least 16 years of age to be eligible to participate in the work-based learning program. Existing law requires, with certain exceptions, a volunteer at a charter school, university school for profoundly gifted pupils or public school who is likely to have unsupervised contact with pupils to submit his or her fingerprints for the purpose of a criminal background check before beginning his or her service as a volunteer and at least once every 5 years thereafter. (NRS 388A.515, 388C.200, 391.104) Existing law authorizes, under certain circumstances, the board of trustees of a school district to exempt volunteers who are employed by a business, agency or organization participating in a work-based learning program from the requirements of submitting fingerprints for an investigation into the criminal background of the volunteers. (NRS 391.1055) Section 2 of this bill provides instead that the board of trustees may exempt any volunteer if the volunteer has passed an investigation into his or her criminal background as a requirement for: (1) employment with the business, agency or organization; or (2) obtaining a professional or occupational license in this State. Section 2 further provides that the board of trustees may authorize the volunteer to submit his or her fingerprints for an investigation into the criminal background of the volunteer less often than every 5 years. Finally, section 2 authorizes the board of trustees, to the extent money is available, to reimburse a business, agency or organization for the cost incurred by the business, agency or organization for submitting fingerprints for the investigation into the criminal background of the volunteer.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 389.167, 391.1055
BDR: 389.167, 391.1055