All Prenda guides and adults over the age of eighteen (18) who live in the microschool facility, volunteer with the microschool, or may otherwise have direct contact with students are required to complete a Prenda-provided background check prior to having any contact with Prenda students. Background checks are provided free of charge through Prenda’s third-party background check partner. Details on who is subject to a background check are explained below.
Guide background check clearance is required prior to starting microschool operations. Prenda may re-run all background checks on an annual basis for returning guides and those adults subject to a background check affiliated with the microschool. Returning guides must resubmit a comprehensive list of all background checks required for the microschool on an annual basis and ad-hoc throughout the school year as volunteers or cohabitants change.
Prenda’s background check will search for convictions including, but not limited to, fraud, felony and misdemeanor offenses including sexual, violent, or aggressive offenses, serious traffic infractions, any charge including a minor, and inclusion on terrorism watchlists, sexual offender registries, or most-wanted lists.
Who Is Subject To A Background Check
All guide candidates must pass a background check prior to guiding any child that is not their own custodial child and thereafter on an annual basis prior to the start of the academic year. Prenda may initiate annual renewals each year for returning guides and adults affiliated with each microschool. The following individuals are also subject to background checks:
- Microschool location residents: Any individual eighteen (18) years or older who resides at the microschool site for any length of time during the academic year.
- Microschool location house guests:
- Short-term guests who may be temporarily visiting the guide and their family are not subject to this policy, so long as they do not have the opportunity to see or interact with the students during core microschool hours.
- Adults who may exert control: Any individual eighteen (18) years or older who may have the ability to exert control over a microschool student for any length of time during core microschool hours.
- “Control” is defined as having any supervisory or disciplinary oversight or authority over a student other than the individual’s own child, even if such oversight or authority is limited, or for a limited period of time.
- Examples of persons who fall into this category include but are not limited to, substitute guides, volunteers in the microschool environment who will be interacting with students, and parents/guardians who wish to drive microschool students other than their own to microschool activities or field trips.
There are two types of background checks: (1) premium, which is for guides or persons exerting control over students, and (2) basic, which is for additional adults present in the microschool. The basic search runs federal and state data, whereas the premium also runs county-level data.
Common Parent/Guardian Visits
Parents/guardians are not subject to Prenda’s background check in order to engage in microschool activities related purely to their own child. This means parents/guardians do not need a background check for things like GPS Meetings or guide conferences, or when visiting the microschool to pick up their child or view their child’s project or performance.
We recommend that the guide monitor all parent/guardian visits to ensure they do not have unsupervised access to other students.
Background Check Denial for Residents of the Microschool Location
If a resident of the microschool facility does not pass Prenda's background check, the guide must either find another location to hold their microschool or only guide their own custodial children.
Notice of Responsibility
The guide is responsible for notifying Prenda of all possible individuals who meet the background check criteria, including new individuals in the space on an ad-hoc basis throughout the year. The guide is also responsible to notify Prenda on the next business day if they are arrested for any reason whatsoever during the academic year.
Failure to identify all individuals subject to a Prenda background check, either intentionally or negligently, or failure to disclose a new legal issue may result in the inability to register students or Prenda refusing to approve new microschool location or closing down one that had been previously approved. Prenda also retains the right to seek all appropriate judicial relief and damages that result from a guide’s failure to identify all individuals subject to the background check.
Background Check Request Instructions
Guides complete the background check process as part of their registration within Prenda World. Guides will supply the background check candidates' first and last name, email address, and state for all adults (18+) who are present in the microschool or live in the microschool location.
This must occur prior to the individual spending time with or in the microschool. The person requesting access to the microschool should not be permitted on the premises during microschool hours until clearance has been confirmed by Prenda.
The individual for whom the guide is requesting a background check will receive an email from Checkr, Prenda’s third-party background check partner. The individual is then responsible for completing the request electronically to initiate the background check.
Guides can view the status of pending background checks by going to their Prenda World account and refreshing their background check page. Guides will be able to continue setting up their microschool and inviting learners once all adults have initiated their background check with Checkr.
Background Check Request Timeline
It takes anywhere from two (2) hours to upwards of two (2) weeks for Checkr to complete the background check. It is therefore advisable that guides submit the Background Check Request form as soon as possible.
Background Check and Criminal Offenses
The background check may yield results that either:
(1) render the guide eligible,
(2) automatically render a potential guide or other adult for whom the background check was requested ineligible, or
(3) review, which may require additional character references upon request. Character reference review will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Automatic Ineligibility
Any individual is ineligible to become a Prenda guide if the background check establishes that the person has either been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any crime that would make the guide ineligible for employment as a teacher in a school in the state where the microschool is located.
If any other applicable adult other than the guide has a similar conviction, they may not interact with the students during microschool hours. If the individual resides at the microschool facility, the microschool will need to be moved to another location.
If a guide applicant potentially faces charges or faces unresolved charges for an offense for which a conviction, guilty plea, or plea of nolo contendere would render the applicant ineligible to work in a public school in that state, the applicant will be considered ineligible to serve as a microschool guide until such charges are resolved.
Last updated: March 17, 2025