A school hiring authority wishing to use a third party to conduct criminal history background checks on employees, coaches, independent contractors and volunteers under Minnesota Statutes §123B.03, subdivision 1, must follow the steps below in compliance with subdivision 4. 

Before entering into the contract, the school hiring authority must: 

• Provide the state compact officer with the name of the proposed third-party contractor and a copy of the proposed contract.
• Determine from the state compact officer whether the proposed contractor has committed a security violation. (A third-party contractor that has committed a security violation is ineligible to participate in conducting background checks on behalf of a school hiring authority pursuant to Minnesota Statutes §123B.03.) 
• Request and receive permission from the state compact officer to enter into the contract with the proposed contractor. Requests should be sent to: Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Attn: Compact Officer – MNJIS Section, 1430 Maryland Avenue E., St. Paul, MN 55106.

The contract must:

• Specify the purposes for which the background check information may be made available.
• Incorporate into the contract by reference the Security and Management Control Outsourcing Standard.
• Include a statement that the third-party contractor engaging in background checks under Minnesota Statutes §123B.03 is subject to Minnesota Statutes §13.05, subdivision 11. 

Consent forms submitted by a third-party contractor for purposes of obtaining a background check under this section should include the statute citation, the name of the third-party contractor making the request, and the school hiring authority with which they have contracted.