DCI Criminal History Background Check for All Field Experiences

Iowa schools are beginning to require all adults who work in their schools, in any capacity, to be able to prove that they have been screened by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation for any history of criminal behavior. As a field experience student, you will need to be able to show proof in some Iowa schools that the Iowa DCI found no evidence of a criminal history for you.

If you do not have such proof when requested by a school in which you intend to do your field experience, you run the risk of not being able to complete the field experience and, therefore, may have to drop the course until you are able to receive this proof from the DCI. Once the proof is requested, it can take 2-3 weeks for the results. The Teacher Education Office does not receive or hold these results. THEREFORE, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE CERTAIN YOU RECEIVE THESE RESULTS. Your request to the DCI is valid for one month only.

The forms you need to complete in order to request the background check and the form for sending payment are found on the Iowa Criminal History Records web site:

Directions for completing the forms:

• On the main DCI page, you will see a box that has three linked forms:
1. “Billing form” to use if you are mailing your request and payment of $13.00.
2. “Request form” (provides DCI with search information)
3. “Billing form” to use if you wish to FAX your request and credit card payment of $15.00.
• Select either form “1” or “3” AND form “2.” Print them off.
• Hints for completing the forms:
1. Request form : Ignore the account number, and complete the rest of the information. The top right side is your return address information so that the DCI can return the data to you directly. The middle box, “Request,” is where you write your identification information about yourself. The next box is the “Results” section that the DCI will return to you, stating whether or not you have a criminal history. This is the proof that you will provide your school, should they ask. You do not need to sign the “Waiver” box because you are requesting this information of yourself.
2. Billing forms : Again, ignore the Account Number blank, but complete the rest of the page until the very bottom. You will put your last name on the first entry and ignore the remaining seven blanks.
3. You will be sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope and 2 pages to the DCI: Form A and your selected Billing Form. Within approximately 2-4 weeks, you will receive a response from the DCI.
• Once you have received your results, carry it with you to all field experiences between now and graduation from UNI. This background check is the only one that will be required of you throughout the UNI Teacher Education Program (we hope!). However, you will need to complete a full background check, complete with fingerprinting, for the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. This will occur prior to student teaching, and you will receive assistance with this from the Teacher Education Program.