The Human Resources Department (HR) fills all staff positions and candidates will be chosen on the basis of education, experience and ability to perform the essential functions of the position. HEC shows no preference regarding the employment of relatives of its staff or Board of Directors. A sincere effort is made to be impartial and select candidates with the best qualifications.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
HEC is committed to providing equal access to employment opportunities for otherwise qualified individuals with a handicap or disability. Hillcrest Educational Centers vigorously supports the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and related state laws, and is committed to hiring and offering reasonable accommodations to its applicants and. If you feel that you need assistance in performing any of the essential functions of your job or would like to discuss a workplace accommodation please contact your supervisor, or a member of the Human Resources Department.
Human Resources and supervisory staff use job descriptions and existing personnel policies to define criteria for all hiring, and to set performance expectations. These practices are applied without discrimination and in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations.
HIV AND RELATED MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Pursuant to applicable state law, HEC does not discriminate against employees, applicants or students solely because they are infected with HIV or affected by any of the medical conditions associated with HIV infection.
HEC will not require serology testing or any type of information concerning HIV status from employees or prospective employees as a condition of employment.
PREPLACEMENT PHYSICAL, TUBERCULOSIS SCREEN, FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY EVALUATION
All successful candidates, after receiving a conditional offer of employment, will undergo a pre- employment physical, fully paid for by HEC, which will determine if the candidate is able to perform the essential functions of the position for which they are being offered, with or without reasonable accommodation. During this medical exam a tuberculosis test will be administered and the employee will return 48-72 hours later to have the test read. The employee will also be offered the opportunity to receive the Heptivax Vaccine, which is a series of three shots that will provide immunization against Hepatitis B. The follow up for the remaining two shots will be scheduled during the initial visit. All employees are eligible to receive the Heptivax Vaccine at a later date, even if they refuse the initial offer of the vaccine. Candidates must successfully complete the physical and tuberculosis screening to be eligible for employment.
BACKGROUND RECORD CHECKS
To ensure the safety and security of our students and staff at HEC, as a condition of employment with our agency, all employees, interns and volunteers (current and prospective) are subject to an intensive background record check (BRC). This check includes all criminal history (CORI – Criminal Offender Record Information) verified through the Criminal History Systems Board
and any substantiated/supported reports related to abuse or neglect documented through the Department of Children & Families (DCF). In addition to CORI and DCF, we also conduct a national criminal check, sexual offender check, and social security verification.
This policy also follows the regulations of the Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC) who is the licensing agency for Hillcrest. The DEEC regulations state that HEC is prohibited from confirming an offer of employment until the satisfactory completion of both a CORI and a DCF Background Record Check of the candidate. Further, the regulations prohibit a candidate from commencing employment beyond new staff orientation until after the candidate is cleared as a result of the CORI check. Staff may not have unsupervised contact with students until they are DCF cleared.
Policy
It is the policy of HEC, to ensure that all candidates for employment are subject to a background
record check (BRC) prior to confirming an offer of employment. In addition, all current employees of HEC will also undergo a background record check at a time period not to exceed three (3) years or at any time HEC determines appropriate due to information surfacing regarding an employee’s circumstance.
Confidentiality/Privacy
HEC respects the sensitive and confidential nature of this information and has implemented several safeguards to ensure the integrity of the process.
All “adverse findings” related to a completed BRC are stored in a confidential locked file in
Human Resources.
Only certain HEC employees, known as “Reviewers with Hiring Authority” or “Reviewers with
Access”, that have been cleared through DEEC will have access to this information.
Only general information related to the BRC process such as the BRC Consent Form, Government Issued Photo ID, and the BRC submittal form, will be stored in the employee’s personnel file.
Process (external candidates):
At time a conditional offer of employment is extended, successful candidates will complete and
sign the BRC Consent Form and provide a Government Issued Photo ID.
It is the expectation of HEC, that all BRC results will be received prior to being scheduled for New Staff Orientation. However, due to the time constraints of the record checking process, combined with the needs of the agency, exceptions may be made by allowing a new employee to participate in New Staff Orientation before all results (CORI/DCF) are received.
If, at the conclusion of New Staff Orientation, a new employee has not been “CORI-cleared” (meaning that either there has been a finding of “no record” or HEC has not granted discretionary approval review of the findings) the employee will not be able to continue their employment with HEC and the conditional offer will be rescinded.
If, at the conclusion of New Staff Orientation, a new employee has been “CORI-cleared” (defined above) but HEC has not received the results of the DCF record check, at the discretion
of HEC, the new employee may be able to begin at the campus and may be counted in ratios but
they may not have any unsupervised contact with children. This condition must be documented in writing by H.E.C., addressed to the employee and placed in their BRC file and will only be utilized as an interim measure with limited duration.
If the candidate’s CORI information reveals an outstanding warrant for a disqualifying offense, or DCF information indicates that there is an open 51B investigation, then the candidate must be notified that they are not eligible for a position with HEC
In the event adverse findings are received regarding the CORI or DCF component of the BRC, then a Discretionary Review must take place (see below). This may include an open case if the charges fall into the “Discretionary Qualification” category (CORI – Table B).
When communicating to the administration and staff that an employee is not to have unmonitored supervision of children, it must be emphasized that this no way implies that an employee has any adverse Background Record Check information.
Process (current employees):
All current employees of HEC will undergo background record checks at a time period not to
exceed every three (3) years or at any time HEC determines appropriate due to information surfacing regarding an employee’s circumstance.
All employees will need to complete and sign the BRC Consent Form and provide a Government
Issued Photo ID each time a BRC is to be conducted.
If the employee’s CORI information reveals an outstanding warrant for any offense, or DCF information indicates that there is an open 51B investigation, then the employee may be suspended from HEC in accordance with the Arrest/Criminal Charges Policy.
In the event that adverse findings are received regarding the CORI or DCF component of the
BRC, then a Discretionary Review must take place (see below).
Periodic BRC’s will be conducted for the Licensee and Reviewers at the time of each license renewal.
Discretionary Review:
Adverse findings are defined as those findings (other than “no record” or “no findings”) that
appear on a CORI/DCF record check. HEC reserves the right to review those findings and make a determination of whether or not the agency feels that the employee/candidate poses a risk to students. This is known as a discretionary review.
Any DCF information that shows that a candidate has been named in a supported 51B report as the person responsible for the abuse or neglect of a child will result in a “Discretionary Disqualification” of the candidate. In these cases the employee will be contacted and HEC will request approval to proceed with requesting the detailed findings. In the event the employee fails to grant approval, the employee will be considered to have resigned from their position and the resignation will be accepted immediately.
Upon receipt of the DCF 51B report, HEC will review the findings and make a determination of continuing employment or terminating employment if there is a concern of risk to our students. HEC will document its decision outlining the rationale for either terminating the employee or granting a discretionary approval to maintain employment and place this documentation in the employees BRC file. H.E.C will notify DEEC of the decisions made regarding the Discretionary Review (as outlined on results page of the BRC received from DEEC).
Criminal Charges/Arrests:
• All staff are required to report any arrests or charges of criminal offense (need to
clarify) to the Program Director or designee and the Human Resources Department, prior to the start of the next scheduled shift.
• All documentation of the charges must be submitted to Human Resources. Depending on the charges filed the following may occur:
• Staff who are arrested/charged with an offense that would be a disqualifying offense under
CORI hiring guidelines will be placed on leave without pay for up to 15 days.
• Staff who are arrested/charged with an offense that would not be a disqualifying offense under CORI hiring guidelines may be placed on leave without pay for up to 15 days.
DCF Investigation:
All staff are required to report to the Program Director or designee and the Human Resources Department if they have been named in a 51A or 51B or if they are involved in any activity that may be considered an investigation by DCF.
Human Resources will meet with the employee to gather data regarding the nature of DCF investigation. Depending upon the nature of the DCF investigation, HEC will make a determination regarding the continuation or termination of employment. In some instances the employee may be suspended pending this investigation (see above Criminal Charges/Arrests).
Failure to report arrests, charges, or DCF investigations per this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Process:
If an employee is suspended, a suspension letter will be given to the employee indicating the
dates of suspension and impact on the employee’s benefits.
Once a complaint has been resolved, employee must bring official documentation to Human
Resources stating resolution and a decision will be made on reinstatement.
Factors considered will include the nature of the allegation and any conditions of continuance, the entire CORI record of the employee, length of employment, and employment history. Based upon the needs of the agency, a decision regarding filling the position will be made.
Eligible employees will be reinstated to the same position if possible, or to a similar position if original position has been filled.
Prior to returning to full unrestricted employment, a new BRC will be conducted.
Benefit and Paid Time Implications:
Employees who are suspended due to criminal charges, an arrest, or a DCF investigation may use vacation and/or personal time, within the guidelines of usage in Personnel Policies (example: maximum annual for personal time is 24 hours). If employees do not have enough benefit time to cover the time off, the time will be without pay. (Long Term Illness and sick time are not available to use during this time off.)
Record Retention:
As mentioned above, only the BRC Consent Form, Government Issued Photo ID, and the BRC
submittal form, will be stored in the employee’s personnel file. All other information including but not limited to adverse finding results, 51B’s, and discretionary review determinations will be stored in the separate locked BRC cabinet. This documentation will be retained for no more than
3 years or until a new BRC is conducted, whichever comes first. At the end of this period, all
prior documents, with the exception of the rationale for hire, will be destroyed.
BRC documentation for those candidates not employed for reasons not related to a BRC check will be destroyed at the time of decision. BRC documentation related to a candidate that is not hired, or is terminated for reasons related to the BRC will be retained for the same duration as is typical with the maintenance of personnel records.
LETTER OF EMPLOYMENT
Each new employee at Hillcrest Educational Centers will receive a letter of employment.
This letter will contain the name of your immediate supervisor, your initial work schedule, your
starting pay, as well as other information important for you to know.
INTRODUCTORY PERIOD
The first 90 days of your employment or starting of a new position with Hillcrest Educational Centers is known as the introductory period. It is the period that gives new employees an opportunity to discover whether they enjoy working with HEC, on a specific campus, or student population, and want to continue. It also gives your supervisor an opportunity to evaluate your interest in your job and your ability to carry out its requirements. During this introductory period, employees will undergo evaluation by their supervisor and will have a number of opportunities to discuss their progress with supervisory personnel.
At the end of this period, their supervisor will recommend to their Program Director or
Department Head, one of three options:
• Classification as regular employee
• Extension of introductory period (not to exceed six months in total)
• Termination of employment
Upon review, the Program Director or Department Head will implement one of the above options. A new employee who is in their introductory period will not be allowed to utilize any accrued leave or benefit time until the employee has attained classification as regular employee. An employee whose introductory period has been extended may use benefit time if approved in accordance with our time off policy.
During the introductory period, employees are not permitted to apply for open positions within the agency. Any employee who accepts a new position in the agency will be subject to a new three-month introductory period.
Successful completion of the Introductory Period does not alter an employee’s status as an at-
will employee, nor is an employee guaranteed employment throughout an Introductory Period, as
all employment at HEC is considered employment-at-will.
INTERNAL JOB POSTING AND TRANSFER PROGRAM
In an effort to encourage personal and professional growth within the agency, HEC utilizes a job- posting program. Each week POST TIME, an updated list of all open positions throughout HEC, is distributed to all programs. Typically, existing employees have seven (7) days to apply for a newly posted position. After that time, the position will be “closed” but will remain on POST TIME until it has been filled. Employees who are currently in their Introductory Period (see Introductory Period) are ineligible to apply for an open position. Any employee with current or unresolved disciplinary action may be ineligible to apply for an open position.
Staff who are interested in being considered for an open position (either a promotion or lateral transfer) should complete the Internal Job Application Form, available at all HEC locations, on HECnet, or through the Human Resources Department. The completed application form should be returned to the Employment Manager in the Human Resources Department, where it will be reviewed and forwarded to the appropriate manager. While every attempt will be made to accommodate an internal move, this cannot be guaranteed.
While HEC employees are given consideration for any available position, it may also be necessary to advertise externally and to hire external candidates. This decision is made at the sole discretion of HEC, based upon the particulars of the available position and the needs of the agency. As with all aspects of employment, HEC is an equal opportunity employer with regard to hiring and