How to Obtain Fingerprint Verification

B: Fingerprints Already Processed by the Department of Education

Check your TEACH account and find out what kind of fingerprint records are on file, if any. Make a note of the information in the fingerprint section (Inquiry Links > Account Information > Fingerprinting > Submit). You should see:
•   TEACH Account Has No Records of Your NYCPS Fingerprints, or
•   TEACH Account States That Your DCJS and FBI Records Have Been Received, or
•   TEACH Account States “We Have Received Your Fingerprint Information From NYC.”

You can check this document (PDF) for information on finding your account information.

Then follow the instructions.

Your TEACH account will only indicate if your records were received, not if your records are currently “cleared.” That information is maintained by PETS or OSPRA and will be checked by Brooklyn College after you follow the instructions in paragraphs E–G.

C: Clearance Already Processed by Agency Other Than NYCPS or NY State Education Department

If you will be in education courses for New York State certification, you will need fieldwork and/or student teaching courses. Most college students work in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), formerly known as New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) schools, while in college for fieldwork and student teaching, and will need fingerprint records to be confirmed by the NYCPS that were processed by Identogo for certification or confirm records previous processed by the NYCPS.

The NYCPS cannot use fingerprint records processed by the DOI, DOH or other agencies.

If you intend to work in public schools in New York, you will need fingerprint clearance processed by Identogo for certification or fingerprint records previously processed by NYCPS. In that case, you will need to refer to How to Get Fingerprints Processed if You Don’t Have Records or Need New Records.

(including a scan of your fingerprints at the NYCPS Office).

D: Unsure About Your Clearance Status

See sections B and C above.

If you had a fingerprint/security clearance letter from Brooklyn College previously and can’t find it, you can fill out this form to get a new letter.

E: TEACH Account Has No Records of Your NYCPS Fingerprints

Check your TEACH account, inquiry links, account information, fingerprinting. If you know that you processed your fingerprint records with the NYCPS and you see a note in the fingerprint section that states “Teach does not have your fingerprint information,” you should not have to pay to have your records processed again, as long as they can be verified.

You will need to send a request to have your records added to the “roster” that Brooklyn College can check. The college does not have access to records for employees or students from other colleges.

The college can verify your records after you follow these steps:

1. Send an e-mail to Helen Spencer. Include the following:

• First and last name
• EMP ID
• Home address
• Phone number
• Personal e-mail
• Year of birth. Do not include your month and day of birth.
• Copy/paste this statement into the e-mail: I give the Brooklyn College School of Education permission to nominate me in the NYCPS PETS system and submit my social security number to PETS in order to process fingerprints as part of the security clearance check process.

2. You may get a e-mail from PETS that states “Hello, Thank you for submitting the required documentation to be added to your college roster in PETS.” If you don’t have that letter, allow time to receive it. Check all of your e-mail folders. If you have fingerprint records that can be used, you can skip the information about getting records processed with IdentoGo.

3. After about a week or more after Step 2, you should get an e-mail from PETS that states “Congratulations! This e-mail confirms that an organization or agency providing services to the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) or New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has nominated you for a position.” If you don’t have that letter, allow time to receive it. Check all of your e-mail folders. This is a “nomination” letter.

You are not necessarily being hired yet, you are receiving the same letter that new employees receive. Check the letter for “Next steps.” Be sure to complete the Applicant Gateway forms online if you are instructed to do that. If the “nomination” is marked “withdrawn” or “expired” in the Applicant Gateway, that means it timed out. If it timed out, you will need to e-mail PETS and ask for a new “nomination” letter. When you get that letter, be sure to fill out the forms before the link expires.

4. After you follow Steps 1 to 3, you should receive a verification letter from Helen Spencer (hspencer@brooklyn.cuny.edu) with the subject “Keep this information: Fingerprint /security clearance verification for NYCPS.”

If you followed all the steps above and do not have the verification letter from Helen Spencer:

You will need to check all of your e-mail folders for a “nomination” e-mail from PETS that will state, “Congratulations! This e-mail confirms that an organization … has nominated you for a position…” Check the letter for “Next steps”. Be sure to complete the Applicant Gateway forms online if you are instructed to do that. If the “nomination” is marked “withdrawn” or “expired” in the Applicant Gateway, that means it timed out. If it timed out, you will need to write to e-mail PETS and ask for a new “nomination” letter. When you get that letter, be sure to fill out the forms before the link expires.

5. For New York State certification, you will need to release your records to NYCPS. Upload an OSPRA 104 form (PDF) and follow the instructions at the bottom of the form to create an account with NYCPS HR Connect and upload the form. Select the category “Walk-In Center” OSPRA 14.

If the information in section two of the OSPRA 104 form does not apply to you, you can leave it blank.

Allow about one month for your records to be processed, and then check your TEACH account to be sure your fingerprint records were received. Look for a line that states, “We have received your fingerprint information from NYC”. If you see this note, then your records have been received and you do not need to follow up. Your current clearance status will not be posted there. Records on TEACH cannot be used to confirm your current fingerprint clearance status.

F: TEACH Account States That Your DCJS and FBI Records Have Been Received

Instructions

Check your TEACH account, inquiry links, account information, fingerprinting. If you see “Your DCJS and FBI records have been received,” follow the instructions below. Fingerprint records marked “received” on TEACH do not alone satisfy NYCPS’s security clearance requirements. Records on TEACH will only indicate if they were received or not, not your current security clearance status.

Note: As of March 31, 2023, NYCPS is no longer able to use most of the DCJS/FBI records noted on TEACH for individuals on student teacher/practicum rosters. They are no longer processing the OSPRA 103 form to transfer records for students. If you have DCJS/FBI records that were processed more than about a month ago, NYCPS may require new records as described below. The records cost $101.75.

The college can verify your records after you follow these steps:

1. Send an e-mail to Helen Spencer. Include the following:

• First and last name
• EMP ID
• Home address
• Phone number
• Personal e-mail
• Year of birth. Do not include your month and day of birth.
• Copy/paste this statement into the e-mail: I give the Brooklyn College School of Education permission to nominate me in the NYCPS PETS system and submit my social security number to PETS in order to process fingerprints as part of the security clearance check process.

2. You may get a letter from PETS that states “Hello, Thank you for submitting the required documentation to be added to your college roster in PETS.” If you don’t have that letter, allow time to receive it. Check all of your e-mail folders.

3. After about a week or more after Step 2, you should get a “nomination” letter from PETS that states “Congratulations! This e-mail confirms that an organization or agency providing services to the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) or New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has nominated you for a position.” If you don’t have that letter, allow time to receive it. Check all of your e-mail folders. This is a “nomination” letter.

4. Within the nomination letter, find “Next Steps – Applicant Gateway.”

Open the Applicant Gateway link.

You will have about ten days to open the link and complete the steps before the link expires.

• Before the link expires, log into the Applicant Gateway system using your e-mail address and password.
• Once you are logged in, you will be on the home screen.
• Click on the “Status” link to view your forms. This will bring you to a Nomination Status screen.
• Click on the “Application Forms” link under “Processing”.
• A screen will pop up with a display of all Applicant Gateway forms and their current statuses.  Complete any forms needed.

5. Ask Helen Spencer hspencer@brooklyn.cuny.edu if your fingerprint records were previously received in the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), now known as New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) Personnel Eligibility Tracking System (PETS) database or not. When you write to Helen Spencer, include your CUNYfirst EMPLID number in your correspondence please.

5A. If ‘Yes,’ your records were previously received: after you fill out the forms in the Applicant Gateway, your records can be reviewed. Go to step 6.

5B. If ‘No,’ your records were not received previously. In this case, you will need new fingerprint records. Complete the following steps then go to step 6. Open the “Fingerprint Instructions Form” to access the steps and service code required to schedule your fingerprinting appointment with IdentoGO. Important: Be sure to use the service code in that form to save time and money. The cost is $101.75.

Send in the OSPRA 104 form (PDF)

If the information in section two of the OSPRA 104 form does not apply to you, you can leave it blank. Check your TEACH account after you send in the OSPRA 104 form and look for the statement: “We have received your fingerprint information from NYC.” When you see this note, your fingerprint requirement for New York State and New York City is complete. Your TEACH account will only indicate if your records were received, not if your New York City records are currently “cleared.” When you send in the form you can ask how much time is needed.

6. Check if all of the data in the Applicant Gateway is complete. When it is, you should receive a verification letter from Helen Spencer, with the subject Keep this information: Fingerprint /security clearance verification for NYCPS. Letters are usually sent on Mondays.

If all the steps in the Applicant Gateway are complete but your records can’t be confirmed yet by Helen Spencer hspencer@brooklyn.cuny.edu, you can send an e-mail to the NYCPS Office of Personnel Investigation (OPI) to ask what the next steps are for your fingerprint clearance.

Unfortunately, you cannot confirm your security clearance status in the Applicant Gateway or using your TEACH account.

G: TEACH Account States “We Have Received Your Fingerprint Information From NYC”

Check your TEACH account, inquiry links, account information, fingerprinting. If you see “We have received your fingerprint information from NYC,” you should not have to pay to have your records processed again, as long as they can be verified.

You will need to send a request to have your records added to the “roster” that Brooklyn College can check. The college does not have access to records for employees or students from other colleges.

The college can verify your records after you follow these steps:

1. Send an e-mail to Helen Spencer. Include the following:

• First and last name
• EMP ID
• Home address
• Phone number
• Personal e-mail
• Year of birth. Do not include your month and day of birth.
• Copy/paste this statement into the e-mail: I give the Brooklyn College School of Education permission to nominate me in the NYCPS PETS system and submit my social security number to PETS in order to process fingerprints as part of the security clearance check process.

2. You may get a letter from PETS that states “Hello, Thank you for submitting the required documentation to be added to your college roster in PETS.” If you don’t have that letter, allow time to receive it. Check all of your e-mail folders. If you have fingerprint records that can be used, you can skip the information about getting records processed with IdentoGo.

3. After about a week or more after step 2, you should get a letter from PETS that states “Congratulations! This e-mail confirms that an organization or agency providing services to the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) or New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) has nominated you for a position.” If you don’t have that letter, allow time to receive it. Check all of your e-mail folders. This is a “nomination” letter.

You are not necessarily being hired yet, you are receiving the same letter that new employees receive. Check the letter for “Next steps”. Be sure to complete the Applicant Gateway forms online if you are instructed to do that. If the “nomination” is marked “withdrawn” or “expired” in the Applicant Gateway, that means it timed out. If it timed out, you will need to write to e-mail PETS and ask for a new “nomination” letter. When you get that letter, be sure to fill out the forms before the link expires.

4. After you follow Steps 1 to 3, you should receive a verification letter from Helen Spencer (hspencer@brooklyn.cuny.edu), with the subject “Keep this information: Fingerprint /security clearance verification for NYCPS.”

If you followed all the steps above and do not have the verification letter from Helen Spencer:

You will need to check all of your e-mail folders for a “nomination” e-mail from PETS that will state, “Congratulations! This e-mail confirms that an organization … has nominated you for a position…” Check the letter for “Next steps”. Be sure to complete the Applicant Gateway forms online if you are instructed to do that. If the “nomination” is marked “withdrawn” or “expired” in the Applicant Gateway, that means it timed out. If it timed out, you will need to write to e-mail PETS and ask for a new “nomination” letter. When you get that letter, be sure to fill out the forms before the link expires.

H. International Students (Students Without an Official Social Security Number)

If you do not have an official Social Security number, you must e-mail Wanda Morales to make an appointment. We recommend that you use a personal e-mail address instead of a college or work address. Indicate to the OPI representative that you are an international student teacher without a Social Security number. You will be directed to the correct person. You must have an appointment, and you must bring in the following four items:

• Passport
• Student visa
• Proof of enrollment in an education program (a letter from your college program office will suffice: Early Childhood/Art Education, Childhood, Bilingual and Special Education, Secondary Education, or School Psychology/Counseling/Educational Leadership)
• College ID card (required)

After your records are processed, contact the certification officer.

After you receive your Social Security number, you will need to bring your Social Security card to the OPI, 65 Court Street, Room 200, Brooklyn, New York. Indicate that you are an international student teacher who was previously fingerprinted without a Social Security number. Ask to be added to the Brooklyn College PETS roster so that your fingerprint records can be on file with Brooklyn College.

If you use a number obtained from any source other than the Social Security Administration (including numbers generated by CUNY and/or Brooklyn College) to be added to the NYCPS PETS fingerprint roster, you will lose your security clearance and will be required to be fingerprinted a second time at your expense.

If you do not receive a Social Security number (either for employment purposes only or otherwise) before you complete your requirements for New York State certification, you may need to process your fingerprint clearance again with IndentoGo.