Nova Southeastern University

NSU-Fischler School of Education  COMPANY ID# UE00087

• New Security Clearance Application
• Security Clearance Renewal Application
• Security Clearance Replacement Application (Select this option to replace lost, stolen, or damaged ID badges or if you are a transfer student who has security clearance with another school district)

IMPORTANT: All teacher candidates are required to submit a copy of their security clearance ID badge to the Office of Placement Services prior to requesting a field placement from the Broward Schools Placement Request website. Copies of security clearance ID badges may be faxed or emailed to the Office of Placement Services, please see the contact information listed below.

If you experience problems or should you have any questions about the security clearance process for Broward County please contact the Office of Placement Services at the Fischler School of Education at 954-262-7900. Fax: 954-262-3925, Email: robidoug@nova.edu.

Teacher candidates must follow these steps in order to obtain security clearance in Miami-Dade County public schools:

1. Obtain a security clearance packet from his/her Academic Advisor or from the Office of Placement Services.
2. Complete the MDCPS Service Provider Input Document included in that packet and take it to the Miami Dade County Public Schools Fingerprinting Office.
   
   Miami Dade County Public Schools Fingerprinting Office

   1450 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 110
   Miami , FL 33132
   Phone: (305) 995-7472
   Hours of Operation: 7:00 am - 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
   Cost: $71 (Money Order made payable to SCHOOL BOARD MIAMI-DADE FINGERPRINTING)

3. After completing the fingerprinting process the teacher candidate must send an email to the Office of Placement Services (robidoug@nova.edu) with the following information:
   
   
   

   Subject:	Fingerprinting Complete
   Body of the email:	First Name Last Name Date Fingerprinted Social Security Current Mailing Address Contact Phone Number

4. This information will be used to send the teacher candidates a Security Clearance Card from Nova Southeastern University's Office of Placement Services. This card will serve as proof that the teacher candidate has had his/her fingerprints approved by Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is permitted to complete his/her field experience observation hours in a Miami-Dade County public school.
5. Once the teacher candidate has received the Security Clearance Card from the Office of Placement Services, he/she may enter a Miami-Dade County public school and request placement.

Any questions should be directed to the Office of Placement Service at (954) 262-7900

• Jacksonville Security Clearance

• School District of Palm Beach County

The School District of Palm Beach County security clearance is required for all teacher candidates participating in clinical experiences. Security clearance from other school districts is not acceptable.

The cost of security clearance is $99.00 and must be in the form of money order or personal check made payable to "School District of Palm Beach County."

Teacher candidates should not call the school district office. All information and forms needed must be downloaded from the School District of Palm Beach County Web site.

If a teacher candidate is currently a Palm Beach District employee in any capacity, he/she will still be required to provide proof of security clearance. The database for Palm Beach County District employees is not the same as the database of college/university students. As a result, teacher candidates will be required to complete the field experience observation and practicum experience checklist and applicant security checklist even though they have already been fingerprinted for school district employment.

Teacher candidates must follow these steps in order to obtain security in Hillsborough County public schools:

1- Register and pay online https://www.cogentid.com/fl/index_fdoe.htm

• When registering online, choose Hillsborough from the drop down menu for county. For CRI Literal, choose Hillsborough Schools.

2- After you have registered, request a finger print packet by sending an email to one of following:

-Academic Advisor, Ashley Owens at 1-800-986-3223 ext. 45268 or at ao252@nova.edu
-Office of Placement Services at 1-800-986-3223 ext. 28561 or at robidoug@nova.edu

If you are requesting a fingerprinting packet by email, please be sure to include your registration number and current mailing address in the body of the email. Fingerprinting packets may also be picked up at the Tampa Student Educational Center (SEC).

Fingerprinting for Student Observation or Internship

All students who will be completing field experience hours or an internship are now required to be fingerprinted through Clark County School District (CCSD). Background checks are performed by the FBI, the State of Nevada, and the Clark County Metropolitan Police Department. All background checks must be cleared before a student will be allowed to go into a classroom to do their field experience or internship.

Please note, it may take up to 90-120 days to obtain security clearance, and in some instances it may take longer. In order to ensure an appropriate timeline, the dates are as follows:

Internship: fingerprinting should occur no later than 4-6 months in advance of your planned term for internship
Field Experiences: fingerprinting should be done, at minimum, 4-6 weeks prior to the start of your first Education class with Nova, and must be repeated annually. This is a Nova requirement, and is your professional responsibility as a teacher-candidate.

There is a fee for this service. Contact CCSD directly to find out what the current fee is. You must pay either by money order or cashier’s check, made payable to CCSD. This fee is non-refundable.

Students may not submit any placement requests until their security clearance is confirmed. Students must request their placements through the Nova Office of Placement Services. Once CCSD Teaching and Mentoring Department personnel have confirmed clearance, they will assign him/her to a school. The student will receive notice of placement, and students are required to notify Nova that their placement has come through.

If an internship applicant does not receive the appropriate security clearance prior to the start of the Nova semester for which the placement is requested, he/she will not be placed into a classroom. Interns are expected to teach lessons independent of their cooperating teacher as part of their internship experience, and appropriate security clearance is necessary in order to do so.

All background checks are done solely through the Clark County School District. Students are not permitted to have them done separately through the police department.

The fingerprint office is open Monday-Thursday, 8:30 am—11:30 am, and 1:00 pm—4:00 pm. On Fridays, the office is only open from 1:30 pm—4:00 pm.

For more information, contact CCSD directly. Their phone number is (702) 799-1092.

CCSD
2832 E. Flamingo Road, Room 106
Las Vegas, NV 89121
(702) 799-1092

Field Experience for Online/Distance Education Students

Teacher candidates that do not live in Florida or Nevada that are seeking field experience placement should follow the following steps:

1. Contact the school district for the county that you wish to complete your field experience hours in.
2. Find out how the school district prefers to process placements for field experience students. Does the school district prefer to place students themselves or do they encourage students to find their own placement? If the school district prefers to assign placements to students then the Office of Placement Services will need to be given a contact name and phone number for that school district.
3. Next, you will need to inquire about security clearance (fingerprinting). Although, every school district may not require field experience students to complete the fingerprinting process, it is NSU’s policy that all field experience/internship students do so. Find out what the proper procedures are and obtain security clearance for the county in which you will complete your field experience hours in.
4. If a school district requires students to find their own placement then you may use the Letter of Introduction to aid you in explaining your intentions when contacting schools/assistant principals. A print out of your course syllabi will also be helpful in this process.
5. Once you have secured your placement (whether it was assigned by the school district or obtained by self placement) you will then need to report your placement to NSU. You may do so by using the online Field Placement Reporting Form. You will find this form on the first page of our Field Experience website.
6. If you should have any questions or problems in regards to obtaining a field placement in your area then please contact the Office of Placement Services at 1-800-986-3223 ext. 28561 or email us at robidoug@nova.edu . Having close and constant contact with the Office of Placement Services will ensure a smooth placement process for all students.

**NOTE- Undergraduate students will need to obtain a different field placement each semester. It is not permitted for undergraduate education students to complete field experience hours where they work, have previously completed field experience hours, or where they have children/family attending.

Teacher candidates who do not teach in a classroom setting, completing their field experiences in the Bahamas Islands, will need to secure placement on their own by following the steps below:

1. OBTAIN SECURITY CLEARANCE
Security clearance is required of anyone conducting a field experience for any education class.
In order to obtain security clearance, please use the following link: http://forms.bahamas.gov.bs/dp_form.asp?fid=299
Applicants who require fingerprint checks should apply in person at the Criminal Records Office, Thompson Boulevard, so that their fingerprints can be scanned on to the application, and certificate can be ready on the pick-up date. A passport, drivers licence or voters card must be submitted for identification before fingerprints are checked. Use the PDF icon from this link to print a form that you will fill out and take with you to the Criminal Records Office.

Fingerprinting results will be sent to the Bahamas Student Educational Center.

2. REVIEW THE CLASS SYLLABUS

Teacher candidates should review the course syllabus for each education course for which they are currently enrolled to determine the appropriate classroom setting for the field experience.

3. LOCATE A SCHOOL

Once they have established the classroom setting required for field experience assignments, teacher candidates should locate a school that has this setting available for completion of the field experience hours. To secure a placement, the teacher candidate should contact the curriculum coordinator, principal or vice principal of a school of interest and present the NSU letter of introduction. He/she must be sure to obtain the following information prior to leaving the school in order to go on to the next step:
Name of the school
Address of the school
Phone number of the school
Name of the Cooperating Teacher (if applicable)
Grade level
Area of Specialization of the Cooperating Teacher

4. SUBMIT PLACEMENT REPORTING FORM

Once the vice principal, principal, or curriculum coordinator has agreed to allow the teacher candidate to complete the field experience at the school, the teacher candidate MUST fill out the Field Placement Reporting Form.

If assistance or clarification is needed regarding field placements, students should contact the Office of Placement Services at 800-986-3223 ext. 28561 or their Academic Advisor.

Recap

• Security Clearance
• NSU e-mail account
• Letter of Introduction-assists students in securing a placement at a school
• Principal Approval Form-for those students who are already teachers
• Field Placement Reporting Form-report where your field experience is completed
• The NSU email address will be the primary channel of communication between the teacher candidate and the Office of Placement Services. Teacher candidates may obtain an NSU e-mail account online if one has not been provided already (see link above for more information).
• *Students who are currently teachers may complete their field experience hours in their own classroom provided that it is approved by the school principal. Please have the Principal Approval Form signed and returned to the Office of Placement Services for verification. Fax number- 954-262-3925 or email to robidoug@nova.edu.