All New Jersey substitutes must complete their background check with the New Jersey Department of Education Office of Student Protection. The Office of Student Protection offers three distinct pathways to verify you are cleared to work through an entity such as Swing Education, and you can determine which path you should take by answering the following questions:
1. Have you ever worked for a school or school vendor?
- No → You will complete a New Applicant background check
- Yes → Proceed to the Next question
2. When were you last fingerprinted in New Jersey?
- Before March 1, 2003 → You will complete a New Applicant background check
- On or after March 1, 2003 → Proceed to the Next question
3. Have you been employed as a substitute teacher continuously since you were fingerprinted (every single year since your criminal history approval was issued)?
- Fingerprinted as a substitute teacher → Proceed to Next question
- Something else → You will complete an Archive background check
4. Have you been employed as a substitute teacher continuously since you were fingerprinted (every single year since your criminal history approval was issued)?
- Yes → Proceed to question 6
- No → Proceed to question 5
5. Were you fingerprinted within the last year (as of today's date)?
- Yes → You will complete a Transfer background check
- No → You will complete an Archive background check
6. Are you able to provide a Verification of Employment memo for the schools you have worked at since being fingerprinted, if requested?
- Yes → You will complete a Transfer background check
- No → You will complete an Archive background check
Why Do You Need to Do the Correct Background Check?
It is very important you complete the correct type of background check according to your circumstances and qualifications, as completing the incorrect background check can result in errors and significant delays in processing.
What Happens After I've Verified the Type of Background Check I Need?
Once you have verified which background check type you need to complete, you will receive instructions to do so in your Swing account. The three types of background check pathways are:
To learn more about each type in general, please visit the New Jersey Office of Student Protection website. But remember – to complete your background check for Swing, you will need to follow our very specific guidelines, available to you in your Swing account.
If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to our support team.
Any questions? Contact us!
FAQ
How do I check the status of my Background Check?
If you would like to check the status of your background check request, please visit the NJ DOE's webpage (here) agencies that you have been approved for.
If you see Swing Education’s agency code (7343), that means that your background check has cleared for Swing and we are able to update your account. If your account has not been updated already, please reach out to support.
How long will it take for my Transfer/Archive/New Applicant request to process?
Transfer and Archive requests are usually processed within 1-2 weeks. If you completed a New Applicant request the average processing time is 2-4 weeks. We receive updates from the NJ DOE twice a week with a list of newly processed applications.