A California teacher, Jodi Smith, faced an unbearable reality after a background check mistakenly linked her to a 2009 DUI conviction in Tulare County, despite fingerprint records showing no match. This embarrassing situation arose from the fact that she shares the same last name as three people who have been convicted of crimes.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) had denied Smith a teaching credential based on a background check. However, when asked for evidence, it became clear that the record was incorrect and her name did not appear in the conviction list.
A lengthy battle ensued to rectify the situation with both the CTC and the Department of Justice, which conducted the background check. It ultimately took months before the Department of Justice (DOJ) corrected the error after an investigation found that Smith's name was never associated with a DUI offense.
Smith had lost $24,000 in wages due to her absence from class while she fought for clarity on her status as a teacher. She is now reassigning to work as a teacher's aide and earning less than before. The situation highlights how a simple mistake can have devastating consequences, particularly when it comes to trustworthiness and safety.
The incident raises questions about the efficacy of background checks and the reliance placed upon them by employers. While the Department of Justice insists that these checks are essential in preventing potential security threats, Smith believes she is at fault solely due to her common surname.
Smith has become a vocal advocate for change, advocating for better training for staff who conduct background checks.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) had denied Smith a teaching credential based on a background check. However, when asked for evidence, it became clear that the record was incorrect and her name did not appear in the conviction list.
A lengthy battle ensued to rectify the situation with both the CTC and the Department of Justice, which conducted the background check. It ultimately took months before the Department of Justice (DOJ) corrected the error after an investigation found that Smith's name was never associated with a DUI offense.
Smith had lost $24,000 in wages due to her absence from class while she fought for clarity on her status as a teacher. She is now reassigning to work as a teacher's aide and earning less than before. The situation highlights how a simple mistake can have devastating consequences, particularly when it comes to trustworthiness and safety.
The incident raises questions about the efficacy of background checks and the reliance placed upon them by employers. While the Department of Justice insists that these checks are essential in preventing potential security threats, Smith believes she is at fault solely due to her common surname.
Smith has become a vocal advocate for change, advocating for better training for staff who conduct background checks.
I mean, can you even imagine going through something like this? You're just trying to do your job and provide a great education to your students, and BAM! Your name gets mixed up with some random person's DUI conviction from 2009. It's crazy how one mistake can snowball into so much trouble.
But seriously, a $24k loss in wages? That's not right. And it's all because of a simple mistake... I mean, what if the name was different? What if she just went by first name only? 
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I'm literally shaking my head over this one... Can you believe they checked her fingerprint records but still linked her to that DUI conviction?! What's the point of having fingerprint records if not to confirm someone's identity? 
It's just so unfair.
her name got linked 2 a DUI conviction from 2009 in tulare county but it was all a mistake 
she shares the same last name as 3 ppl who r convicted of crimes lol not fair at all! 
but not b4 she lost like $24k in wages 
cuz she had 2 take a leave of absence from class. now shes workin as a teacher's aide and earnin less than b4...not cool at all! 
i feel for her and it's not like she did anything wrong by sharing the same last name as 3 people who have been convicted lol what if her surname was "jones" or something? would've been no problem 
it's just not fair that one mistake can ruin someone's career like this 
It's wild how one wrong fingerprint match (or shared last name) could lead to all this drama. And the fact that she lost so much money and her job security too... ugh! 
We need to be better at training our staff and making sure these checks are accurate.