The following information was shared with NursingCAS school users in May 2021.
Please review the below change effective for the 2021-22 NursingCAS application which will launch in August 2021. The 4 applicant background questions will be removed from the core application (Quad 1). It is the responsibility of each school to work with their internal legal counsel annually to determine if/how they should collect this information in the Custom Questions (Quad 4) or post-admissions method per individual state laws. Configuration for this cycle will open in late May 2021. Liaison International and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing will not be responsible for any questions or content added by NursingCAS participating programs. Content within custom questions is the responsibility of each institution.
Background Information:
Postsecondary institutions work continuously through a variety of means to promote campus and classroom diversity as well as inclusivity, characteristics known to enrich and improve the overall educational experience. At the same time, the national discussion about removing criminal history records questions from the admissions application and pushing this inquiry to later in the process, as well as conversations about using disciplinary notations on transcripts, has been met with guidance from the Department of Education and legislative proposal debates in Congress and State Houses across the country.
To date, five (5) states (Louisiana, Maryland, Colorado, New York, and California) have enacted legislation that limits or prohibits the collection of criminal history information from applicants prior to rendering an admissions decision with California providing an exception for “professional degree programs”. Some state laws may allow educational institutions to request criminal history information before a student arrives on campus and/or enters university housing or other facilities.
Currently, Virginia and Pennsylvania have bills on this topic moving through their state legislatures.
Questions that will be removed from the 2021-22 NursingCAS Core application:
- Misdemeanor: Have you ever been convicted of a Misdemeanor?
- Yes
- If YES, enter an explanation and include:
- A brief description of the incident and/or arrest
- Specific charge made
- Related dates
- Consequence
- A reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life
- No
- If YES, enter an explanation and include:
- Yes
- Felony: Have you ever been convicted of a Felony?
- Yes
- If YES, enter an explanation and include:
- A brief description of the incident and/or arrest
- Specific charge made
- Related dates
- Consequence
- A reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life
- No
- If YES, enter an explanation and include:
- Yes
- Academic Infraction: Have you ever been disciplined by any college, university, or professional school for: (1) unacceptable academic performance (academic probation, suspension, dismissal, etc.) or (2) conduct violations?
- Yes
- If you answered “Yes” to the previous question, you must provide an explanation. Include 1) a brief description of the incident and/or arrest, 2) specific charge made, 3) related dates, 4) consequence, and 5) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life.
- No
- Yes
- License Infraction: Have you ever had any certification, registration, license, or clinical privileges revoked, suspended or in any way restricted by an institution, state, or locality?
- Yes
- If you answered “Yes” to the previous question, you must provide an explanation. Include 1) a brief description of the incident and/or arrest, 2) specific charge made, 3) related dates, 4) consequence, and 5) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life.
- No
- Yes
Resources:
https://www2.ed.gov/documents/beyond-the-box/fact-sheet.pd
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb19-170