GBC, Recruitment

The Ouachita School Board shall make a concerted effort to recruit the best qualified applicants available, and to assign such employees to positions, departments, levels or subject fields in which they have achieved full qualification or certification. When vacancies occur in existing positions or when new positions are created, and such positions are not filled by transfer of qualified personnel, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall post notice of the vacancy and shall have the discretion to advertise for certain positions when circumstances warrant. When vacancies are advertised, such advertisements shall generally be for a minimum of ten (10) days, unless extenuating circumstances require a shorter period of time.

When filling vacancies in positions of authority or those with policymaking duties, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall not utilize only oral contacts and interviews of applicants considered, or use any other means to circumvent the provisions of state statute. Nothing, however, shall prohibit oral contact prior to a person becoming an applicant or shall prohibit oral contact which may result in a written application or other documents.

Applications for teaching positions shall be submitted to and retained digitally by of the Personnel Director for a period of not less than three (3) years and all applications for non-certified positions shall be retained for a period of not less than one (1) year.

As part of the application process, the School Board shall require the applicant to sign a statement that authorizes the release and disclosure of the following information by the applicant’s current or previous employer(s):

If an investigation determined that a formal allegation of an applicant was inconclusive, unjustified, or otherwise without cause for further formal pursuit, the applicant shall not be required to disclose such information.

The statement shall also request the current or previous employing School Board make available to the School Board, through its Superintendent or his/her designee, within twenty (20) business days of receipt of the request, copies of all documents as contained in the applicant's personnel file maintained by such employer relative to instances of sexual misconduct, if any. Such request for information shall include a copy of the required statement signed by the applicant.

The Superintendent, or principal, with the approval of the Superintendent, may employ any applicant on a conditional basis pending a review of any information obtained pursuant to this request. Permanent employment shall not occur until the information has been satisfactorily verified. However, in accordance with statutory provisions, the Superintendent shall not hire any applicant who does not sign the release of information statement as required by law.

Any information obtained by the School Board as a result of the signed release statement and request outlined above shall be used by the Superintendent only for the purpose of evaluating an applicant's qualifications for employment in the position for which he/she has applied, is not subject to the state public records statutes, and shall not be disclosed to any person, other than the applicant, who is not directly involved in the process of evaluating the applicant’s qualifications for employment.

In addition to the above, as part of the application process, the School Board shall request the applicant’s performance evaluation results, if applicable. The applicant, once the evaluation results have been received, shall be given an opportunity to review the information received and provide any response or information the applicant deems appropriate.

Finally, the applicant shall grant permission by signing a statement on the application form that permits the School Board to have access to any and all reference, background, and previous employment information and to receive copies of any such documentation from a current or previous employer.

The name of each applicant for certain positions of authority or those with policymaking duties, the qualifications of such an applicant, and any relevant employment history or experience of such an applicant shall be available for public inspection, examination, copying, or reproduction as provided for in the statutory provisions governing public works.

All persons, prior to employment as a bus operator with the School Board, shall fill out an application form. Each applicant shall complete all prerequisites required by law and Bulletin 119, Louisiana Student Transportation Specifications and Procedures, before he/she shall be considered for employment as a bus operator or substitute bus operator.

Upon completion of the prerequisites, the applicant’s valid application shall be filed in the personnel department for consideration of employment to fill vacancies as they occur. All applications shall be validated each year.

The Ouachita Parish School Board shall require, in accordance with state law, applicants for employment with the School Board to submit necessary information regarding their backgrounds. Every prospective employee shall be required to provide authorization for the disclosure of any information regarding past criminal activities, including arrests, convictions, having pled nolo contendere, or other dispositions, including dismissal of convictions, of any criminal offense, in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §15:587.

A standard applicant fingerprint card acceptable to the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information and a disclosure authorization form shall be provided the applicant by the School Board or may be obtained from local police authorities. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to have his/her fingerprints taken by a qualified individual and submitted to the proper authorities for processing. Any cost associated with fingerprinting or the disclosure of background information on an applicant may be passed on to the applicant.

The School Board may hire a person as an administrator, teacher, or substitute teacher who has been convicted of or plead nolo contendere to a felony not listed in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §15:587.1(C), who has been found to have submitted fraudulent documentation to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) or the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) as part of an application for a Louisiana teaching certificate or other teaching authorization, or who has been found to have facilitated cheating on any state assessment if BESE properly issues a teaching certificate or authorization after a formal appeal request submitted by the person.
The School Board may reemploy an administrator, teacher, or other school employee who has been dismissed for conviction of a crime, except a crime listed in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §15:587.1(C) only upon written approval of the district judge of the parish and district attorney, or upon written documentation from the court in which the conviction occurred stating that the conviction has been reversed, set aside, or vacated. Such statement of approval from the judge and district attorney and any written documentation from the court shall be kept on file and produced upon request by law enforcement.

No later than thirty (30) days after the documentation is placed on file by the school, the school principal shall submit a copy of said documentation from the court to the Louisiana Superintendent of Education.

Revised: June, 2012	Revised: April 16, 2019
Revised: January 23, 2018	Revised: May 14, 2019