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State Education Department Asked To Reconsider Fingerprinting Teachers

A Kansas legislative committee is asking the state's education department to reconsider a plan to fingerprint public school teachers.

During a committee meeting Monday, Rep. Jim Ward said he was concerned that the proposal would violate the privacy rights of the 33,000 longtime teachers who would be fingerprinted. He also objected to a plan to require the teachers to pay $50 for the fingerprinting.

Education department attorney Scott Gordon said the state wants to take advantage of new legal software that would notify the department when the fingerprinting shows a teacher had been arrested.

Some committee members supported the fingerprinting as a way to protect students.

The state is not required to follow the committee's recommendation that the fingerprinting be reconsidered.

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