Background Checks and Drug Screening for Students (Policy SW-23)
To comply with clinical and/or course requirements, background checks and drug screenings will be completed at the expense of the student.
Procedure:
Timing of the Background Check and Drug Screening
Program requirements will determine the completion of a background check and/or drug screening.
Students must complete the required background check and/or drug screening prior to participation in degree or service experiences. Students will not be allowed to progress in their course until the Program Director or designee reviews clearance documentation.
Students must permit Clarkson College to review the results of the background check and/or drug screening to progress in their program by completing the online Student’s Disclosure & Consent Release of Information form.
Additional background checks and/or drug screening may be required with or without cause, as required by the clinical agency or Clarkson College, at the student’s expense.
Identification of Vendors
Background checks and drug screening results will only be accepted from a Clarkson College-approved vendor. All student information is kept confidential.
Allocation of the Cost
The student is responsible for the payment for background checks and drug screenings. Additional site-specific screenings (background and/or drug screen) and all random drug screenings will be at the student’s expense.
Significant Findings in Background Check Report
Clarkson College cannot guarantee that students with significant findings in their background check will be permitted to participate in clinical rotations or be a candidate for licensure/certification in every state.
Additionally, a prior conviction of a felony or misdemeanor may make a student ineligible for professional licensure, professional certification, or professional registration, depending on the specific regulations of the individual health profession and the state of practice.
The student must meet the guidelines for prior criminal convictions of the agency where the clinical is scheduled. No special accommodation for alternative clinical placement will be made for the student.
Alert on Background Check/Positive Drug Screen
Program Directors and/or designee have access to complete report details related to an alert on a background check and/or positive drug screen result. A Program Director and/or designee will counsel students with alerts on background checks to determine the outcome. Positive drug screen results will follow the steps referenced in the SW-15 Drug and Alcohol policy. This can be found in the College Academic Catalog and Handbook. The College is not responsible for rectifying any inaccuracy in the student’s background check.
Other Findings and Self-Reporting
Criminal activity while a student is enrolled at Clarkson College may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal, and will be addressed through the College academic or disciplinary policies. The student must contact their Program Director and/or designee, and the Clinical Compliance Office within 72 hours of any new charges against them involving criminal activity, including but not limited to theft, assault, and illegal drug/alcohol activity other than minor traffic violations, which could interfere with clinical placements or obtaining professional licensure.
Failure to Report or Falsification
Failure to submit a background check or report a new charge(s) may result in suspension from all classes, clinical rotations, etc. until clearance documentation is provided in accordance with respective College procedures. Falsification of information, including omission of relevant information, may result in denial of admission or dismissal from the student’s program and will be addressed through Clarkson College’s academic and/or code of conduct policies.
Confidentiality of Records
A background check(s) and drug screening reports and all records pertaining to the results are considered confidential with restricted access.
Request for access to records and reports outside of the Clinical Compliance Office must be approved by the Program Director and/or designee, prior to granting access. Information in the reports/records will not be shared with facilities participating in the clinical/service/externship experiences unless a legitimate need is demonstrated. Background check reports and other submitted information are confidential and may only be reviewed by Clarkson College officials and affiliated clinical facilities in accordance with the Family Educational Records and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Recordkeeping
All records are housed in a vendor’s secured web portal used by Clarkson College. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain their records. The web portal is password protected.
Review Process
The Program Director and/or designee will review background check reports for significant findings and make case-by-case determinations dependent on the type of offense/event in relation to the educational program. The offense/event will be reviewed for when the offense/event occurred, how old the student was, and if it was a repeated offense showing a pattern or a single event, along with the degree of the offense/event. The adverse finding may result in denial of admission or dismissal from the program.
The Program Director and/or designee will meet with the student when the background check report includes significant findings and document or complete the Student Conference Form. Documentation/Student Conference form will be filed in the secured vendor portal.
Academic Policies and Procedures
- Academic Integrity (Policy SW-25)
- Academic Probation (Policy AA-20)
- Academic Travel Abroad Release (Policy SW-11)
- Academic Year
- Access to Campus Facilities (Policy SW-28)
- Academic-Related Activities and Travel Release (Policy SW-40)
- Admissions (Policy AD-1, AD-2, and AA-57)
- Advanced Standing Credit (Policy AA-47)
- Articulation Agreements
- Assessment of Student Success Skills (Policy OG-23)
- Last Date of Attendance (Policy AA-63)
- Auditing a Course (Policy AA-35)
- Background Checks and Drug Screening for Students (Policy SW-23)
- Clarkson College Behavioral Intervention Team (Policy SW-24)
- Bookstore Voucher (Policy SA-2)
- Cancellation of Course (Policy AA-36)
- Change of Personal Information
- Undergraduate Class Standing (Policy AA-38)
- Code of Conduct (Policy SW-18)
- Public Complaint (Policy OG-20)
- Copyright (Policy IT-4)
- Coursework Categories for Undergraduate Degrees
- Credit Hour Definition (Policy AA-55)
- Crime Awareness & Campus Security (Policy SW-5)
- Undergraduate Deans List (Policy AA-27)
- Degree Plan (Policy AA-5)
- Dismissal (Policy AA-24)
- Drug and Alcohol (Policy SW-15)
- Computing Policy (Policy IT-2)
- Email (Policy IT-1)
- Emergency Notification, Response and Evacuation (Policy SW-30)
- Emotional Support Animal (Policy SW-38)
- Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (Policy SS-9)
- Financial Aid Award (Policy FA-19)
- Forms Submission
- Freedom of Expression (Policy OG-22)
- Grade Change (Policy AA-37)
- Grade Point Average (Policy AA-29)
- Grade Reports
- Letter Grades and Quality Points (Policy AA-6)
- Academic Honors (Policy AA-16)
- Graduation Requirements (Policy AA-8)
- Student Grievance (Policy SW-14)
- Health and Safety Requirements (Policy SW-7)
- Identification Badge (Policy SS-10)
- Incomplete Grades (Policy AA-10)
- Independent Study (Policy AA-41)
- Information Security Program (Policy IT-9)
- Institutional Repository (Policy OG-30)
- Institutional Review of Research Involving Human Subjects (Policy OG-8)
- International Admissions & Transcripts (Policy AD-2)
- Law Enforcement on Campus (Policy SW-33)
- Leave of Absence (Policy AA-30)
- Liability Insurance (Policy SW-12)
- Library Collection Development (Policy OG-29)
- Media (Policy OG-12)
- Missing Student (Policy SW-34)
- New Student Experience Resources and Requirements (Policy AA-62)
- Equal Opportunity and Non- Discrimination (Policy SW-1)
- Student Location & Disclosures for Professional Licensure or Certification Disclosure (Policy OG-33)
- Online Education
- Organizational Governance-Policy Guidelines (OG-15)
- Petition for a Course Offering
- Student Petition for Reconsideration (Policy SW-22)
- Privacy (Policy IT-3)
- Program Completion (Policy AA-17)
- Progression (Policy AA-2)
- Readmission (Policy AD-10)
- Registration/Add a Course (Policy AA-32)
- Reporting Criminal Offenses (Policy SW-36)
- Credit Hour Residency Requirement (Policy AA-28)
- Records Retention (Policy OG-2)
- Right of Students with Disabilities (Policy SW-2)
- Security Awareness Programs (Policy SW-37)
- Service Animal (Policy SW-39)
- Interprofessional Education and Service Requirements (Policy AA-54)
- Sexual Misconduct (Policy SW-27)
- Non-Smoking (Policy SW-16)
- Social Media (Policy OG-28)
- State Authorization
- Student Classifications & Status
- Student Parking (Policy SS-1)
- Transcripts
- Transfer Credit (Policy AA-52)
- Weather-Related School Closing (Policy OG-4)
- Withdrawal From Course Grade (Policy AA-3)