Background Check Policy

Background check information

The results of a criminal background check and Social Security number trace provide students and parents with an additional metric to consider when choosing a qualified local tutor. Wyzant has partnered with Checkr, Inc. to provide the background check service to the Wyzant community  WYZANT DOES NOT REQUIRE TUTORS ON ITS WEBSITE TO HAVE A BACKGROUND CHECK CONDUCTED ON THEMSELVES.

How it works

As a tutor in the Wyzant community, we ask that you furnish your legal name, residential address, Social Security number, and any aliases you may have. In addition, as a tutor, you must provide an authorization for a background check when requested by Checkr within seven (7) days of the original request.  Once this is received, as requested by a tutor, student, or parent, Checkr will conduct a National Criminal Database search which will return results limited to the following:

• Social Security number trace (verifying the SSN provided is a valid number and not on the death index only)
• Felony and misdemeanor convictions within the past seven (7) years, including sex crime convictions (misdemeanor or felony)
• Sex Offender Registry & Global Watchlist Search (regardless of when the conviction occurred)

Generally, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the following convictions relating to children, theft, fraud or violence will subject a tutor's profile to deactivation from the website: felony convictions within the past seven years; and misdemeanors within the past three years, except those misdemeanors relating to children which will be considered within seven years. Wyzant, however, will review every background report and will take into consideration the nature and gravity of the offense, the time of the offense and the fact that the person is attempting to be a tutor. Wyzant will allow an individual to dispute any inaccurate or incomplete information before deactivating an individual's account from the website.

Since the background check is only a database search, it may not cover all federal, state, and county records.  This means that offenses for minors may not appear during a background check and the background check will only cover publicly available convictions and will not cover all arrests or foreign records. Not all databases are up to date. In order to protect a tutor’s privacy, the results of a background check are only reported to Wyzant on a pass/fail basis. Background screenings are not foolproof and they may give members a false sense of security. Background checks are not a perfect safety solution and criminals may circumvent even the most sophisticated search technology. Please refer to the Terms of use for more information.

Ordering a background check

A background check may be ordered in one of two ways. In both cases, the party ordering the check will be responsible for the fee of $15.99. First, a tutor may elect to run a background check on himself or herself. This step is optional. Second, a student or parent may order a background check on a tutor. When a background check is ordered by a student or parent, failure to provide the requested information and authorization to process the background check on the part of the tutor will be taken as an indication that the tutor no longer wishes to find tutoring opportunities through Wyzant, and Wyzant will deactivate the account of such tutor from the Wyzant website.

A tutor for whom a background check has been requested will have a “pending” status while the background check is processed and/or evaluated.  Pending means: i) a background check is being processed, ii) a background check has been completed, but the tutor is reviewing it and has the right to dispute its accuracy or completeness, or iii) the person has a pending charge or deferred adjudication.

Regardless of the reason, if a person has had a “pending” status for 7 days up to 30 days consecutively, Wyzant will deactivate that person’s account from the website.

Please see our Order Background Checks page for more information on ordering a background check. Students can order background checks through their Tutor Connections page.

What happens after a successful background check?

Upon notification of a successful background check, Wyzant will post an icon on the tutor’s profile that details the date of the latest successful check. Students and parents will be able to see this icon when choosing a tutor. Students and parents may also elect to run additional background checks at their own expense. When this happens, Wyzant will communicate this action to the tutor via email and will update the tutor’s profile accordingly.  Please note, in some cases, Wyzant will communicate the results of a successful background check to tutor’s contacts.

What happens after a background check does not meet the requirements of the website?

Wyzant will deactivate the account of any tutor who does not pass a background check or any tutor who does not provide the necessary information and authorization for a background check when requested within a certain period of time. Additionally, we will alert any students the tutor may have contacted while part of the Wyzant community that the tutor has not met the background check requirements of the site. All disputes regarding the results of the outcome of the background check must be directed to Checkr, Inc. at the contact information below with notice to Wyzant (contact at backgroundchecks@wyzant.com ).

Checkr, Inc.
One Montgomery Street, Suite 2000
San Francisco, CA 94108
Telephone: 844-824-3257
Email: support@checkr.com
www.checkr.com

In the event that a background check is amended, Wyzant will reactivate the tutor’s account.  Wyzant will contact any former students when tutor’s account is reactivated. Please note that submission of incorrect or incomplete personal information including a tutor’s name, alias, or Social Security number may lead to a background check that fails to meet the requirements of the website and thus the tutor’s account will be deactivated.