HELP DUI Advice

[anyalee]

My husband is thinking about becoming a teacher, but 5 years ago he got a DUI. Does anyone know how this would affect his certification or employment chances? Any advice out there?

[javamomma]

1st start with the state and find out if he can get a certification. IF he can then I would not think a district would mind since it has been a while ago.

[scrivener]

He'll have to go through a criminal background check, so the DUI will pop up, but since it was five years ago, I'm guessing it won't keep him from gaining a position anywhere. That background check is mostly aimed at filtering out people who have questionable histories with children.

[kingrichie]

If it is a felony, no way.
If it is a misdemeanor, no problem.

[Chef Dave]

I should point out that in 1976, a rowdy 30 year old once got a DUI while near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. This man later became President of the United States. Yes ... it was George Bush Jr.

With this being said, DON'T LIE, DON'T TELL. Whatever you do, your husband shouldn't lie about a conviction on an employment form or during an interview. If he does and is later found to have lied, this will be grounds for immediate dismissal.

I also agree with kingrichie. A misdemeanor will raise eyebrows but shouldn't be too much of a problem if your husband has no other record. A felony is a huge problem.

For more information, read this article:
"Employers say felonies, usually not misdemeanors, will prevent getting jobs"

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/03/01/67390

[Oak Tree]

In my district it makes getting hired considerably more difficult but not impossible. He would have to drug and alcohol awareness classes during his first three years as well. There's also extra hassles every time a license must be renewed. It depends on where you're at.

[Chef Dave]

It also depends upon where you are.

Recent changes to the law in Kansas means that anyone receiving a DUI, regardless of whether or not they are convicted, cannot become a teacher.

DUI law could keep prospective teachers from classroom
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/112507/sta_220331197.shtml

My best suggestion is this ... first see if he can be certified. Contact your state department of education, state certification office.

Assuming your state will let him be certified, contact some of your local school districts. Speak to a human resource officer and find out what the school district policy is.

Although the state may allow a teacher to be certified, school districts may have policies against hiring anyone with misdemeanor records.

[teach1027]

Make sure that he is honest and dicloses that information on his application, beacuse it will cone up in the background check. It may hurt his chances depending on the district and the area you live in (some places are more consertivite than others). You can contact your state board of certification and ask them, they will give you the answers you are looking for.

[Sock Puppet]

I knew a teacher that was convicted of armed robbery and did some hard time. He became a muslim, changed his name, got his degree, and when it came time to get his fingerprints done, the felony was under his old name and his background was never questioned.

So have your husband change his name, no problem.

Just to let you know what happened to the felon teacher, he was later charged with kitty porn by US customs. I heard his wife then decided to leave him.

[Chef Dave]

This question was also raised in another thread. Some of the laws relating to expungement were discussed. Also discussed was the question of whether or not expungement is even realistic given the commercial databases that more and more school districts and private employers are using. Even if you get a record expunged, it may still show up in a private database.

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/forums/showthread.php?t=4872

Bottom line: Check with an attorney. Not all states allow expungements and some states have a strict time limit to apply for expungement.