Background screening now required for New Jersey Board of Education members

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently signed a bill into law that will require all Board of Education members in the state to undergo criminal history background checks. The bill was introduced in January of last year and was passed by both houses. When it got to Christie's desk, he recommended that bias intimidation and fourth-degree crimes in which minor victims were involved be added as grounds for disqualification. "What’s critical now is that school board members receive direction from the Department of Education on how this process will work," Frank Belluscio, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, told The Record. "There is a need to know where they need to go to get their background checks, and other steps they may need to know to meet the requirements." The New Jersey Department of Education is currently writing the regulations, but a department spokesman told the news source that a completion date is not yet available on account of the fact that the legislation was passed so recently. The bill will require board of education members to undergo a background check within 30 days of their election or appointment.