SECTION D | PERSONNEL

PERSONNEL
EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Procedure

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Every candidate for hire must satisfy the credential, qualification, and other position requirements set forth in the job description. Requirements for hire may include verification of a satisfactory: employment record check, criminal record check, education record check, fitness for duty certification, or any other requirement deemed appropriate by College administration.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

All positions deemed security sensitive will require a criminal background check. Security sensitive positions are those that handle money, have access to College information systems, have access to student or employee information, or any other position deemed security sensitive by the College.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All background checks for applicants, employees, or volunteers will be requested through the Human Resources Office. The Human Resources Office will provide the requesting department with either an approval or a denial based on the background check.

All information collected under these procedures shall be used for the exclusive purpose of evaluating the individual for employment or other relationship with the College. The information shall remain confidential and shall not be released or otherwise disclosed, except to authorized persons as required by law. Any employee who releases information or causes information to be released is in violation of this procedure and may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

REFUSAL TO CONSENT

If the employee or applicant refuses to sign the consent for the background check the employment or employment process will be terminated.

FAILURE TO DISCLOSE

The failure of an applicant, employee, or volunteer, to fully disclose his/her complete adult criminal history record as required, which includes any felony convictions where the applicant was tried as an adult before the age of 17, is grounds to deny or terminate employment or other relationships.

DISCREPANCIES

An applicant or employee who believes his/her results from a criminal background inquiry are inaccurate or incomplete has the sole responsibility of coordinating the correction of their record and providing the College with proof of the amended record. The College is not obligated to hold a position or an offer.

CREDENTIALS

Every candidate for hire or transfer will review the credential requirements for the position set forth in the job description and present the required credential(s) to the head of the hiring department and the Human Resources Department before beginning work in a new position.

Every credentialed employee will present evidence of required credential renewal to his or her department head on or before the credential expiration date.

Every credentialed employee will maintain the credential(s) required to perform assigned functions and will not work if a required credential has expired or been revoked.

Credentialed employees will notify their department head immediately if a required credential expires or is revoked or suspended.

Administrators and department heads will establish credential requirements to ensure continuous compliance with current accreditation, state, and federal regulations. Credential requirements will be specified in job postings.

Department heads will contact the appropriate credentialing body or visually inspect original credential documents to confirm that required employee credentials are maintained.

Department heads will submit evidence of new and renewed credentials to the Human Resources Department on or before the credential expiration date for inclusion in the College’s official employee personnel file.

Department heads are accountable for the proper and continuous licensure of employees and will prohibit employees from working without evidence of valid credentials.

The Human Resources Department will clear candidates for hire or transfer only after all required credentials have been verified by the visual inspection of original documentation or confirmation with the credentialing body.

The Human Resources Department will maintain employee credential information in the official personnel file.

The Human Resources Department will update employee credential information as documentation is received from department heads.

Credentials will be verified by visual inspection of the original credential or by contacting the licensing body. Verification by use of the credentialing body’s online credential verification process is permitted.

Only original, unaltered credentials will be accepted as evidence of current credentialing.

The name, or other identifier, on the credential must match the name or identifier contained in the Colleges official personnel file maintained by the Human Resources Department.

Unless prohibited by state, federal or credentialing body, licenses, certifications, and registrations may be photocopied but the copy must be clearly marked “copy” in bold letters across the full face of the photocopy.

Employees who fail to provide evidence of renewal of a required credential on or before its expiration date, or whose credentials become suspended, will not be allowed to work and must be suspended immediately from work without pay.

Evidence of suspension from work must be supplied to the Human Resources Department on the first day of such suspension. If evidence of renewal or actively pending renewal of an expired or revoked credential is not supplied by the end of the third scheduled workday, the employee will be discharged. If evidence of renewal of a suspended credential is not supplied within twenty-one calendar days of the first day of suspension from work, the employee will be discharged.
An employee’s failure to immediately report a loss or suspension of a required credential or a department head’s failure to immediately suspend from work an employee who has lost or had suspended a required credential, is cause for immediate disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.

FACULTY CREDENTIALS

To ensure quality instruction, the College District shall employ competent faculty members qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the institution. When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, the College District shall give primary consideration to the highest earned degree in the discipline.

The College District shall also consider competence, effectiveness, and capacity. This shall include, as appropriate, undergraduate and graduate degrees, related work experiences in the field, professional licensure and certifications, honors and awards, continuous documented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies and achievements that contribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes.

Faculty are subject to the above procedures that apply to all credentialed employees, but additionally faculty will be expected to meet the credentials for the subject area being taught as detailed in the Qualifying Credentials By Course/Programs Worksheet. This document contains a list of all courses currently offered by Navarro College and the credentials required to teach each course. The official copy of this worksheet is maintained in the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The worksheet is also published on the Navarro College website. If an applicant or faculty member meets the criteria stated on the worksheet, they will be considered qualified to teach the corresponding course.

All faculty should have a Faculty Credentialing Form filled out by the appropriate dean before hiring.

In limited circumstances, campus administrators may recommend instructors whose qualifications lie outside the guidelines listed in the worksheet. The instructor’s alternative credentials and qualifications shall be documented on the College District’s Faculty Credentialing Form and be forwarded to a credential review committee for a recommendation. This committee shall be comprised of the Executive Deans of the College and a subject matter expert in the teaching discipline. The Committee will then forward their recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for final approval.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs will be the final say in the determination of credentials. In the circumstance of a current employee’s credentials being questioned by the Credential Review Committee, the Vice President does have the ability to allow an instructor to continue teaching who is six (6) credit hours or less short of the requirements to enroll in the needed hours, with the requirement that proof of registration in the needed courses is provided. To be allowed to teach the following semester, the official transcript showing completion of the needed hours must be presented.

For all cases, the College District shall be responsible for justifying and documenting the qualifications of its faculty.

Approved: May 7, 2015
Updated: February 27, 2017