Act 1173 of 2009 requires that all first-time applicants for an Arkansas teaching license and all local school districts upon initial employment or reemployment of nonlicensed staff must request a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check by the Department of Human Services. This information will be released to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and the applicant is responsible for the payment of any fee associated with the central registry check.
It has come to the attention of the ADE, that there are still many outstanding findings from the 1980's and 1990's that are on the central registry for educators during that era. Some of the findings are against educators because the parent did not like the fact that the child was "paddled." This concern along with the questions about "accuracy" of data in the registry, plus the quality of the investigations /investigators were raised during the 2009 legislative session.
The Department wanted insurance that educators placed incorrectly on the registry or placed on the registry some ten or more years ago have the opportunity to have that information removed. Current law requires an individual to be notified when the individual's name is placed on the registry as well as if and when it is removed from the registry. That was previously not the case.
Any educator concerned that personal information may be on the Child Maltreatment Central Registry may call that office at 501-682-0402. (Full name, social security number and date of birth are required prior to any release of informaiton.) Under current law, individuals whose names appear on the registry and have been on the registry for more than one (1) year may apply to have that information removed from the registry. (Do not assume that names were automatically removed from the registry due of the length of time since the event.)
Ms. Vellor Williams, Manager of the Central Registry, emailed to ADE the attached documents for use in the application for removal from the Child Maltreatment Central Registry. Direct questions to Ms. Vellor Williams or Central Registry staff at 501-682-0402.