Requires certain candidates for employment with DOE to undergo criminal history background check.

This bill requires candidates for New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) positions involving access to school facilities to undergo criminal history background checks. Applicants must provide fingerprints with written consent and pay for the check, which the Commissioner of Education will process using the same standards applied to public school employees under existing law (P.L.1986, c.116). The DOE cannot hire applicants with disqualifying criminal convictions for offenses listed in that law, and must terminate employees if new convictions for those offenses arise after hire. The bill implements a recommendation from a state auditor's report to align DOE hiring practices with public school safety protocols.