Background Screening

FiT Background Application

At FIRST in Texas, we prioritize the safety and well-being of all participants involved in our programs /activities. We understand the importance of creating a secure environment for our participants, which is why we strongly encourage any adult working with a team to receive a free complete background screening before they are allowed to work with a participant.

Background screening plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of our students by identifying any potential risks or concerns. By conducting thorough screenings, we can help prevent individuals with a history of misconduct or criminal activity from working directly with our youth.

To support this crucial aspect of safety, FIRST in Texas requires all staff, volunteers, contractors and coaches to have a complete background screening that meets the requirements of the Texas Education Code.

By implementing background screenings through Raptor Technologies, we can create a safer environment that instills confidence in parents, mentors, school administrators and volunteers. It serves as an essential tool in our collective commitment to safeguarding the well-being of our participants and maintaining the integrity of all of our programs.

Background screening is an essential step in promoting a culture of safety, trust, and accountability within our community and is why we use the same technology used by the majority of public schools in Texas (Raptor Technologies).

Together, we can continue to provide a nurturing environment that empowers our students to learn, grow, and succeed in their pursuit of STEM education and robotics excellence.

Texas prohibits those convicted of the following crimes from having direct access to K-12 students:

Misdemeanor or felony convictions for crimes of moral turpitude
Misdemeanor or felony convictions for crimes involving minor victims, including sexual offenses or abuse
Felony drug convictions
Criminal homicide, kidnapping, trafficking, assaults, and sexual offenses

FIRST in Texas requires all adult coaches of a team, and adults that volunteer at a FIRST in Texas event have a full background screening.

FIRST Event Volunteer Registration

Who is Recommended to Have a Background Screening?

FIRST in Texas strongly recommends that any adult working with participants must have a full background screening before they are allowed to work with a team. We offer this free service for our team leaders / coaches, please use it. Have them use the link above to complete the screening.

Reach out to your program manager to check status of any application after the adult has submitted it. We can only say “cleared” or “not cleared” to protect the privacy of all parties.

fll@firsintexas.org – FIRST LEGO League
ftc@firstintexas.org – FIRST Tech Challenge
frc@firstintexas.org – FIRST Robotics Competition

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) protects the privacy of consumers when consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) collect, retain, and disseminate employment background information to prospective employers.

Under the FCRA, CRAs cannot report the following types of information when it is seven or more years old for positions paying less than $75,000 per year:

Arrests not resulting in convictions
Bankruptcies
Liens
Civil judgments
Lawsuits

The FCRA places no restrictions on the reporting of convictions, so those can be reported regardless of age.

Similarly, the FCRA does not restrict other types of crucial background information for teachers, including employment history, education history, certifications, licensure, abuse and neglect registry information, sex offender registry information, and others.