EDUCATION – Amends and adds to existing law to revise provisions regarding criminal history checks for school district employees and to establish provisions regarding a school chaplain policy.

This bill expands background checks for all school staff with student contact - including substitutes, interns, and chaplains - to include FBI and state criminal databases, with costs covered by a fee paid by applicants. It also creates a new policy allowing Idaho school districts and public charter schools to hire chaplains without state credentials, provided they pass the same background checks. Districts must establish their own selection criteria and define chaplain program offerings. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.