Police Record Checks

As a Teacher Candidate at OISE, you will have periods of placement in schools that are a required part of your program and certification. Before permitting teacher candidates into a classroom, all schools require proof of a satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Police Screening. The screening will identify if you have a police record.

It is then up to the individual school or school board to determine if the record is such that they would deny you entry to their school. Vulnerable Sector Police Screening is not a requirement of the University of Toronto, or OISE, but it is a requirement of the schools/school boards, and you will not be permitted into a school without it. You will never be asked to provide the University with the information from the police and the University will not obtain this information from any other source.

Note 1: Practicum placements no longer require a search under the Mental Health Act as part of your Vulnerable Sector Screening.

Note 2: Teacher Candidates who have a practicum in a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) school are required to have their Vulnerable Sector Screening verified by the TDSB Police Reference Check Office. This must take place before your placement begins. You will need to visit the TDSB PRC office at 17 Fairmeadow Ave., R. 107, Toronto, ON, M2P 1W6 to have your document verified. If you need to speak to someone about this requirement, please call the TDSB Police Reference Check Office at (416)-393-0759. If you already have an original of your vulnerable sector check you should follow the instructions. If you do not yet have a vulnerable sector check or have lost your original, you must apply to your local police service. 

You must deal with the police service where you live and follow the procedures that they have in place. Some ask that you go directly to a police station, some have online forms, and some require that you get a signature from your institution.

Please email the Registrar's Office & Student Experience (oise.vss@utoronto.ca) with your full name and student number.  Note that the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development should provide a list of students who require a vulnerable police check in the ROP program to the Registrar's Office & Student Experience.  We will confirm that your name is included on this list to release the agency code (required for Toronto residents) or letter (required for non-Toronto residents).

It may take several weeks up to several months from the time you submit the request to the time you receive your report. You should expect delays, so you should begin the process as soon as possible.

While there is no stated expiration date on the vulnerable sector police report, some school boards will not accept those older than six months for the purposes of practicum placements. Different police services have very different timelines for processing. Check with the specific police service you are using to ensure that you do not begin the process too early or too late. 

Bring an official document that shows your correct address. (Examples include: a bill for your cell phone, a lease, a bank statement, income tax receipt, or government student loan document). Other forms of acceptable ID.

Go to your local police service and tell them that your university program requires periods of unpaid student teaching and that you therefore require a Vulnerable Sector Police Screening because you will be working with young children.

Apply in the region where you have a permanent address.

Go to your local police service and tell them that your university program requires periods of unpaid student teaching and that you therefore require a Vulnerable Sector Police Screening because you will be working with young children. If the document you receive is not in English, you will need to get an official translation of the document. Once you have established residency in Ontario and have ID showing your address, you should then go to your local police service in Ontario and request a Vulnerable Sector Police Screening.

Police record checks have a date of issue, not a date of expiry. Someone with a police record check issued on April 20, 20## could commit a criminal offense the next day, so Boards use the date of issue as the reference point.

With the exception of the Peel District School Board (PDSB) and the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB), Boards tend to accept a Police Record Check within 12 months from date of issue.  The PDSB and DCDSB accept Police Record Checks within 6 months of date of issue.

If you have a Police Record Check issued on April 20, 20##, and you submit it to the Peel office prior to the following October 20th, then Peel will accept this check for the entire academic year (i.e., for both the Fall and the Winter practicum).  In Durham the Police Check is shared with each practicum school, not submitted to a central board office. So an April 20, 20##  Police Check should be fine for the Fall practicum, but it may not be accepted by a principal in Durham for the Winter practicum. (In which case, a TC would plan ahead and obtain another Police Record Check.)

If you are requesting a placement in the Peel District School Board or the Durham Catholic Board, you need to get a new police Record Check.  If you are requesting a placement other than in Peel or Durham Catholic, then you should seek information directly from the relevant Board, as the February 1^st date might be acceptable for the Fall practicum, but not the Winter practicum. (You might consider getting another Police Record Check just to be safe.)

No, OISE does not collect the police record checks.  When you receive the report from the police, do not submit it to OISE. You will only submit the report to the specific school or board in which you are eventually placed.

Keep your police record check in a safe place until you need it for practicum in the Fall.