(a) All “prescribed child care centers” as defined in § 68-11-201 shall initiate a criminal background check on any person who is employed by or who wishes to volunteer in a capacity that involves providing direct care to a child, prior to or within seven (7) days of employment or provision of services. Any person who applies for employment in a position or who wishes to volunteer in a capacity that involves providing direct care to a child in such a facility shall consent to any or all of the following:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-11-234
Facility: means any institution, place or building providing health care services that is required to be licensed under this chapter. See Tennessee Code 68-11-201
Person: means any individual, partnership, association, corporation, other business entity, state or local governmental agencies and entities, and federal agencies and entities to the extent permitted by federal law. See Tennessee Code 68-11-201
Prescribed child care center: means a nonresidential child care, health care/child care center providing physician prescribed services and appropriate developmental services for six (6) or more children who are medically or technology dependent and require continuous nursing intervention. See Tennessee Code 68-11-201
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) Provide past work and personal references to be checked by the prescribed child care center;(2) Agree to the release of any and all information and investigative records to the prescribed child care center or its agent, or to any agency that contracts with the state of Tennessee necessary for the purpose of verifying whether the individual has been convicted of a felony in the state of Tennessee;(3) Supply a fingerprint sample and submit to a criminal history records check to be conducted by the Tennessee bureau of investigation, other law enforcement agency, or any legally authorized entity; or(4) Release any information required for a criminal background investigation by a professional background screening organization or criminal background check service or registry.(b) Any costs incurred by the Tennessee bureau of investigation, professional background screening organization, law enforcement agency or other legally authorized entity, in conducting investigations of such applicants or volunteers may be paid by the prescribed child care center, or any agency that contracts with the state of Tennessee requesting such investigation and information, or the individual who seeks employment or is employed or volunteers. Payments of such costs to the Tennessee bureau of investigation are to be made in accordance with §§ 38-6-103 and 38-6-109.(c) A prescribed child care center that declines to employ or terminates a person based upon information provided to the facility under this section shall be immune from suit by or on behalf of that person for the termination of or the refusal to employ that person.
