Misdemeanor convictions wouldn’t prevent some Colorado teachers from getting hired if new bill passes

Colorado lawmakers want to help prospective teachers who have run into legal trouble. A bill under consideration would only require licensure applicants to disclose misdemeanors that happened within the last seven years.

---

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

By Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat

People applying for a teaching license in Colorado wouldn’t have to report a misdemeanor conviction that’s seven years or older unless it involves a young person or at-risk adult under a bipartisan bill that unanimously passed the House Education Committee on Thursday.

The current law says that teacher licensure applicants must disclose most misdemeanor convictions regardless of the date of the conviction. The law exempts misdemeanor traffic offenses or traffic infractions.

Sponsors said House Bill 1090 aims to knock down barriers for prospective teachers who have made past mistakes. The bill could also help address a statewide teacher shortage. Colorado had about 2,800 vacancies to start the 2024-25 school year and about 600 positions were never filled, according to Colorado Department of Education data.

Many people feel embarrassed about previous legal issues, and that can stop them from getting a teaching license, said Rep. Matthew Martinez, a Monte Vista Democrat and bill sponsor. Before he became a lawmaker, he worked with incarcerated students at Adams State University.

He said many people who have committed crimes want to change their life.

“And sometimes they are the best teachers and the best mentors,” Martinez said.

Other bill sponsors include state Rep. Stephanie Luck, a Penrose Republican, and Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat.

Martinez and Luck said they chose the seven-year timeframe because it’s closer to what most private businesses use.

The bill uses the state’s definition of an at-risk adult, which is a person with a developmental or physical disability or a senior.

During Thursday’s meeting, Colorado Association of School Executives lobbyist Elisabeth Rosen said the bill makes sense, and there wasn’t any testimony against it. A legislative analysis says the bill wouldn’t require additional costs to the state.

“We all from the school district and teacher perspective hope to move this forward,” Rosen said.

Luck said qualified teaching candidates shouldn’t be prevented from becoming teachers for a misdemeanor such as joyriding or shoplifting. Most of the people that she’s heard from were young when they committed an offense, she said.

“Some of us have had bad days that have resulted in criminal behavior. Some folks have been caught; other folks have not been caught,” Luck said. “I don’t think that after seven years, if it is a certain type of crime, we should continue to remind them of that bad day.”

Luck and Martinez amended the bill before its passage to remove a section that would have exempted private school educators who worked with a Colorado school for more than two years from having to apply for a professional license. Martinez said the amendment narrowed the focus of the bill, and the sponsors would try to take up the issue at another time.

Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.