The required fingerprinting of educators was written into Massachusetts law in January 2013, and now the school district is working to finalize a policy on what that will mean, especially for those who volunteer at tri-town schools and for newly hired personnel.

On Thursday night, the Joint School Committee discussed a policy on fingerprinting.

Prior to the 2013 law, schools were required to have a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) report for anyone working or volunteering in the building. The CORI, however, only covers a person’s criminal record within Massachusetts. Fingerprinting provides schools with a national background search.

Teachers and licensed personnel are being asked to pay $55 for fingerprinting, while support staff, including custodians and cafeteria workers, are asked to pay $35.

Whether or not parents and community volunteers need to be fingerprinted, in addition to the CORI check, was a question for many on the committee.

“I want the parents to want to volunteer,” said Jennifer Kulak of Marion. “If we’re having them being fingerprinted to go on field trips, I’m not too sure I’d be comfortable with that.”

She added, “I think it will create a wall between the school and the community.”

The committee discussed the circumstances that might require fingerprinting.

Christine Winters of Marion suggested fingerprinting volunteers for longer school trips while a CORI would be sufficient for in-school volunteering and day trips with teachers present.

James Higgins of the Mattapoisett School Committee suggested waiving the $55 fee for volunteers, saying that could penalize them for helping out at schools.

The committee also discussed a portion of the policy that would allow the use of information from a previous school in determining someone's suitability for a position. Some members said that information would be subjective. Leadership will look into the wording of the suitability determination section and a policy professional will also review the draft.

The committee will continue to discuss the policy at a future meeting.