Fingerprint Verification Requirement

This information is for Brooklyn College students enrolled in a School of Education program or those who will take School of Education courses that require verification to work in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), formerly known as New York City Department of Education (NYDOE) schools.

Instructions

Watch the video for a quick guide on how meet the fingerprint verification requirement.

How to get fingerprints processed if you don’t have records or need new records.
If you already processed your fingerprint records, follow these steps to get a verification letter from the certification officer.
If you had a fingerprint/security clearance letter from Brooklyn College previously and can’t find it, you can fill out this form to get a new letter.

Deadlines

To avoid a delay in signing up for classes, plan to complete the steps to get a fingerprint verification letter from the certification officer early. It can take two months, more or less, and cannot be expedited. Contact a program adviser for deadlines.

Program Advisers

ECAE Early Childhood/Art Education

Undergraduate, including the dual early childhood/ special education program: Christine Colthirst
Graduate/Master’s: Associate Professor Lulu Song

CBSE Childhood/Special Education

Undergraduate: June Perino
Graduate/Master’s: Karen Nicholson
Special Education Early Childhood, Childhood and Secondary, and Childhood Math Concentration: Arline Levine

SEED Secondary Education/Physical Education/Middle Education/Music

Undergraduate: Lyn-Donna George
Graduate/Master’s: Winifred Fils-Aime

Speech-Language Pathology

Doctoral Lecturer Sharon Beaumont-Bowman

SPCL School Psychology, School Counseling, Educational Leadership

Kayana Bryan

More information

If you will be working in New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) schools while you are a college student, the NYCDOE requires colleges to confirm current fingerprint security status for all college students, including if records are on file already and if you are working already or not.

Clearance is confirmed by the certification officer via e-mail. The records must be record in the NYCDOE Personnel Eligibility Tracking System (PETS) database specifically for Brooklyn College students. Your data will only be added after you follow the instructions above.

Fingerprint records on TEACH and in the NYCDOE Applicant Gateway will only confirm receipt of the records, not current security clearance status. The current security clearance can only be confirmed after you follow the instructions above.

If there are any changes in your fingerprint clearance status, and you are not cleared to work in NYCDOE schools, you will be notified, and then it will be your responsibility to stop working in NYCDOE schools and complete the steps needed before returning to work.

If you apply for substitute teaching after your clearance is confirmed, you may need to allow time for a further review, which may cause you to have a few days without clearance.

Exceptions

The following students do not need fingerprint verification:

If you are in a Transitional B program: the NYC Teaching Fellows , NYC Teaching Collaborative, and/or EdPrep/Sub & Para-to-Teacher program.
If you will not be taking courses in a School of Education program
If you will not be going to NYCDOE (New York City Department of Education) schools for your fieldwork and/or student teaching while you are enrolled in a School of Education program, you can get confirmation from your adviser, and ask the adviser to confirm your exemption with the certification officer.

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