The number of background checks performed by the state for substitute teachers has skyrocketed in recent years after state lawmakers loosened requirements to enter the profession.
Ohio no longer requires subs to have bachelor’s degrees, and the Ohio State Board of Education, the state agency overseeing teacher licensing, has seen a nearly 40% increase in requests from schools and districts to perform background checks in recent years, said Paul Craft, the Ohio superintendent of public instruction, who runs the State Board of Education.
