Teacher Certification

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• I work at a daycare do those count?

  No. DCYF and OSPI do not share records and more than likely you will need to have them redone for OSPI

  1. Complete DCYF Background Check Request form
  2. You will be mailed 2 copies in sealed envelopes
  3. Mail a sealed copy to OSPI to:
  
  OSPI
  Attn: Fingerprint Records Office
  Old capitol Building
  PO BOX 47200
  Olympia, WA 98501-7200

• Mailing fingerprint cards to OSPI

  If you are completing this task with a law enforcement agency or other private company that handed you paper cards, plan for the process to take six weeks from the time you request a card to OSPI processing your submission.

  • Each CWU campus offering education programs has prefilled out cards in the main office to save you time.
    • If you are not nearby one of those centers you can request a fingerprint card from oppfp@k12.wa.us to be mailed to you.
  • Bring the card to a private agency or law enforment agency where you will be printed.
  • Mail the completed card and $50.00 (check, money order or cashier's check) made payable to OSPI to:

  OSPI
  Attn: Fiscal Office
  PO BOX 47200
  Olympia, WA 98504-7200

• Additional Information

  Non-traditional candidates and/or candidates who have had specific past careers/hobbies may experience difficulty with fingerprint clearance. You may be asked to return to have your fingers scanned one or more times if the CWU Certification Office is unable to process your prints the first time. Please allow enough time for clearance should this be the case.

  Disagree with results?

  If you believe the results of your background check from the FBI are not complete or are wrong, you have an opportunity to complete or challenge the accuracy of the information by sending a written challenge request to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division to the following address:

  FBI CJIS Division
  Attn: Correspondence Group
  1000 Custer Hollow Road
  Clarksburg, WV 26306

  Your written request to the FBI should clearly identify the information that you feel is inaccurate or incomplete and should include copies of any available proof or documents that support your claim. The correspondence group will contact appropriate agencies to try to verify or correct challenged entries for you. When the FBI receives official communication from the agency with jurisdiction over the matter, the FBI will make appropriate changes and notify you of the outcome. (This process is described in 28 C.F.R.)

• Request a physical copy of background check

  When you submit fingerprints to OSPI, no news is good news. There is no way for you to check your own clearance date or status. 

  You may complete the OSPI Request Form and submit it to OSPI to have a hard copy of your background check.