Information About Vulnerable Sector Screening/Police Record Checks And

School Board Requirements

Information about Vulnerable Sector Screening/Police Record Checks and

Health and Safety Training

This document addresses police record check requirements for each of the MT partner boards, as well as information for Health and Safety Training requirements for each Board. A Vulnerable Sector Screening and Criminal Record Check is a requirement for placement in the Master of Teaching partnership schools. The board-by-board requirements can be found on pages 2-7, and some general FAQs can be found on pages 7-9.

Requirements by School Board for Teacher Candidates for

Criminal Police Record Check/Vulnerable Sector Search, and

Health & Safety Training

Dufferin-Peel Catholic District Board

905-890-1221

40 Matheson Blvd. West, Mississauga, ON L5R 1C5

Police Record Check
Requirement / A valid criminal record check must be presented directly to the school site on the first observation day.
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within six months from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / Review the training videos at:

Durham Catholic District School Board

1-877-482-0722 or 905-576-6150

650 Rossland Road, W., Oshawa, ON L1J 7C4

Police Record Check
Requirement / Prior to the start of practicum, scan and email your valid criminal record check and health and safety form to . Then on the first day of placement, bring the original criminal record check to the school office and send it via inter-office courier to:
Sonia Ruby, HR
650 Rossland Road, W.
Oshawa, ON L1J 7C4
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within six months from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / DCDSB requires teacher candidates to complete a Student Teacher Acknowledgement and Confirmation of Review Form which involves reading several documents, watching videos and completing online training modules prior to starting your practicum. A completed copy of the Form should be delivered to the MT Office one week before the first day of the practicum.

Durham District School Board

1-905-666-5500

400 Taunton Road East, Whitby, ON L1R 2K6

Police Record Check
Requirement / Teacher candidates placed in a DDSB school should be prepared to show their police record check to someone in the school office on the first day observation day.
Requirement / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within six months from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / Teacher candidates are required to carefully review the Educational Placement: 7 Steps for Safety and Success documents provided by the DDSB and complete the outlined steps. Questions can be directed to Michelle Fannin at .

Halton Catholic District School Board

905-632-6300

802 Drury Lane, Burlington, ON L7R 2Y2

Police Record Check
Requirement / A valid criminal record check must be presented directly to the school site on the first observation day.
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within six months from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / Teacher Candidates placed in the HCDSB need to complete a number of online health and safety modules, including WHMIS training, as outlined on their Health & Safety Training Verification for Student/Unpaid Learner Form. Teacher Candidates should visit the links provided on the form, complete the modules, and print the certificate of completion where applicable (some modules offer a certificate while others do not). Modules should be completed prior to your first observation dayso that you can bring the completed form to the school for signature by the site administrator (the Principal) on the first observation day.
Health and Safety modules can also be accessed at the link below.

Halton District School Board

1-877-618-3456 or 905-335-3663

J.W. Singleton Education Centre

2050 Guelph Line, Burlington, ON L7P 5A8

Independent Schools

Police Record Check
Requirement / TCs placed in an independent school should be prepared to present their criminal record check directly to the school site on the first observation day.
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be withinone year from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / Teacher candidates should complete the online training module at the link below and input the completion date of your training onto your Pepper Practicum Record.

Peel District School Board

905-890-1010

HJA Brown Education Centre

5650 Hurontario Street, Mississauga, ON L5R 1C6

Police Record Check
Requirement / The original Criminal Record Check should be hand delivered, if possible, to Human Resources Support Services, 2nd floor, 5650 Hurontario Street, Mississauga, ONL5R 1C6, in a sealed envelope addressed to Joyce King, Employee Relations Officer, Recruitment and Retention. The envelope should be marked confidential, include the applicant's full name and nature of duties (employment, volunteer, placement, etc.), and the words "Criminal Record Check".
Make a copy of your criminal record check for your own records as once sent to the board, it becomes the property of the PDSB and will not be returned, copied or forwarded to any other institution or individual.
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within six months from the first observation day of a practicum. Once submitted to the Peel Board, the criminal record check covers a TC for a duration of two years.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / The health and safety online training is available at this link:

Once completed TCs forward their certificate of completion to Once submitted to the Peel Board, the certificate of completion covers a TC for a duration of two years.
Teacher candidates are also required to read the Student Teacher Handbookand Welcome Flyerand complete the WSIB Formprior to beginning their practicum.
Note: Since PDSB has their own WSIB form, TCs placed in Peel do not need to have the OISE-issued WSIB form signed by the principal.

Toronto Catholic District School Board

416-222-8282

80 Sheppard Avenue, East, Toronto ON M2N 6E8

Police Record Check
Submission procedures / TC's placed in a TCDSB school should bring their original Police Record Check to someone in the school office on the first Observation Day.
Any questions call: 416-222-8282 ext. 2379
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be withinone year from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / No health and safety requirements at this time.

Toronto District School Board

416-393-0759

Criminal Reference Check Office

17 Fairmeadow Ave., Toronto ON M2P 1W6

Police Record Check
Submission procedures / All student practicum participants are required to have a Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS)completed by the police service in their area of residence (an existing VSSdated within 12 months ofstart datewill be accepted).
The VSS must be delivered to the TDSB Police Reference Check Office beforeyour start date (in person or by mail -faxes and e-mails are not accepted). Original police record checks will be returned to owner if delivered in person. If delivered by mail, the original police check will be returned to owner IF a stamped, self-addressed envelope is included when mailed to the TDSB office.
The TDSB Police Reference Check Office is located at:
17 Fairmeadow Avenue
Office 107
Toronto, ON
M2P 1W6
For additional information about Police Reference Checks, please contact:Aliki Pappasat 416-393-0759.
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within one year from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / Teacher candidates must complete the Worker Health & Safety Awareness in 4 Steps. See link below.

(NOTE: For each practicum the TDSB requires that the MT Practicum Office send a list of all TCs placed in the TDSB to their HR department with the completion date of each TC’s Health and Safety training. For this reason, it is very important that all TCs input their training completion date onto their Pepper Practicum Record so the MT Practicum Office can gather this data. You want to avoid your name going forward to the Board without a completion date for your health and safety training!)

York Catholic District School Board

905-713-1211

320 Bloomington Road, W., Aurora ONL4G 0M1

Police Record Check
Submission procedures / A valid criminal record check must be presented directly to the school site on the first observation day.
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within one year from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / YCDSB requires teacher candidates to complete the Worker Health & Safety Awareness training prior to practicum. They can be found at the link below.

(NOTE: For each practicum the YCDSB requires that the MT Practicum Office send a list of all TCs placed in the YCDSB to their HR department with the completion date of each TC’s Health and Safety training. For this reason, it is very important that all TCs input their training completion date onto their Pepper Practicum Record so the MT Practicum Office can gather this data. You want to avoid your name going forward to the Board without a completion date for your health and safety training!)

York Region District School Board

The Education Centre – Aurora

60 Wellington Street, W., Box 40, Aurora ON L4G 3H2

Calling From

Aurora & King905-727-3141

Newmarket & East Gwillimbury905-895-7216

Gerogina905-722-3201

Markham, Richmond Hill,

Vaughn, Whitchurch-Stouffvile416-969-8131

Police Record Check
Submission procedures / A valid record check must be presented directly to the school site on the first observation day.
Date of issue / The date of issue on a TC’s criminal record check must be within six months from the first observation day of a practicum.
Health & Safety Training
Requirement / Teacher candidates are required to complete a number of Health & Safety training modules prior to practicum. Information can be found in the YRDSB Health and Safety pamphlet.

FAQ’s

How do I go about obtaining my Police Record Check?

Police checks are obtained based on where you live, not where your practicum placement is expected to be.OISE’s Registrar’s Office (RO) has details and Police Department contacts and links at:

As you will note on the RO website, for those of you who live in Toronto, the Toronto Police Services requires a signed form obtained from OISE’s Registrar’s Office (8th Floor). Please bring two pieces of photo identification. You’ll find a list of appropriate ID from the website above. If you require a letter to submit to Durham Police for the student rate, please send a request to

I received my Police Record Check in the mail and the date on it is April 20, 2018. When does it expire?

Police record checks have a date of issue, not a date of expiry. Someone with a police record check issued on April 20, 2018 could commit a criminal offense on April 21, 2018, so Boards use the date of issue as the reference point.

3. I received my Police Record Check in the mail and the date on it is April 20, 2018. Will this be acceptable for both the fall and winter practicum?

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, 2018, and you submit it to the Peel office prior to October 20, 2018, 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, 2018 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.)

Should I submit my Police Record Check to OISE?

No, OISE does not collect the police record checks. Keep your police record check in a safe place until you need it for practicum in the fall.

5.When will I know what Board I am placed in so that I can attend to the police record check requirement for that Board?

Assume you will be placed in the board that you noted as your preference on your Personal Practicum Record (PPR). If for some reason you are not placed inthe Board of your preference, your MT Practicum Coordinator will inform you prior to the first Observation Day.

I had to get a Police Record Check for my summer job. The date of issue is February 1, 2018. Will I have to get another police record check, or can I use this one?

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 1st 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.)

My current address is in London, Ontario, but I will be moving to Toronto in August. Where should I apply for my Police Record Check?

Apply in the region where you have a permanent address. Information about the process to obtain a police record check in Toronto, York, Peel, Halton and Durham, as well as the regions that are serviced by the OPP, is available at

I am an International student arriving to Canada on September 1st. What should I do about obtaining a police record check?

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.

I have a notation on my police record check that I am worried about. Does this mean that I cannot get a placement?

The Police record 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. A notation does not automatically mean that you cannot be placed in a school. You are encouraged to contact the Board directly to get further information, and/or contact the MT Partnership Office. You will never be asked to provide the University with specific information from the police and the University will not obtain this information from any other source.

Last updated March 14, 2018 page