Get substitute teachers and school staff cleared before term starts
GettingDocs is education staffing onboarding software for agencies that fill classrooms for school districts and charter schools. Amy asks every substitute, paraprofessional and related services provider for the licenses, clearances and training certificates they still owe, over WhatsApp or email, checks each file and saves it to their record in your ATS. Your fill rate stops depending on who answered their email over the summer, and the whole roster is cleared before the first bell.
Thanks, Amy · Bellwether Education Staffing
School starts in two weeks. Forty substitutes are still missing clearances.
A district wants a full substitute pool and three special education paraprofessionals. Nobody can be placed until their file holds a teaching license or substitute permit, a fingerprint clearance, a TB test, a mandated reporter certificate and the district’s policy acknowledgments. Here are the same two weeks, twice.
- Two weeks out
Recruiters email 60 candidates a checklist and the fingerprinting vendor’s link.
- Ten days out
Half have replied. Clearance letters land in four different inboxes, and nobody knows who is still missing what.
- One week out
A coordinator spends two days on a tracking spreadsheet. Transcripts arrive with pages missing.
- Friday before
Forty files are still incomplete. The district is told the pool will not be ready for day one.
- First day
Classrooms open with gaps. Teachers give up their planning periods to cover.
A weak fill rate in the first week of term, and a district that starts calling other agencies.
- Two weeks out
Candidates show on the district’s job in your ATS. Amy messages each one with only the items they still owe.
- Ten days out
Permits, TB results and clearance letters come back to Amy and are filed on each record as they land.
- One week out
A transcript with a missing page is sent back with the reason. The full copy arrives that evening.
- Friday before
Amy has reminded the stragglers every morning. Your team only calls the last few.
- First day
The roster is cleared and every classroom on the list has an adult in it.
The pool is ready on day one. Your recruiters spent those two weeks recruiting.
Three steps, and nobody chases anybody
When a substitute, paraprofessional or therapist is added to a district job, Amy messages them on WhatsApp or by email from your own domain, listing only what is still missing. No portal, no login and no app to download.
Each file is filed the moment it arrives, then Amy opens it. A transcript with missing pages or the wrong letter goes back with a reason, and reminders go out at the time you choose until the file is complete.
Documents are attached to the candidate’s record in Zoho Recruit, Recruit CRM or Crelate, with an optional copy in Google Drive. Your team sees who is cleared for which district.
- Substitute permit
- Fingerprint clearance
- TB test result
- College transcripts
- Mandated reporter certificate
No portal, no login. Only what is still missing is ever asked for.
The substitute teacher onboarding checklist Amy collects
Requirements vary by state and by district, but school staffing files are built from the same four groups. Choose a role to see a typical packet, from substitute permits to paraprofessional credentialing, and Amy asks each candidate for exactly those documents.
Teacher credentials and transcripts6 of 6 documents
- State teaching license or substitute permit
- Paraprofessional certification or ParaPro assessment score
- Professional license (SLP, OT, PT or school psychologist)
- State nursing license (RN or LPN)
- Official college transcripts
- Degree certificate
Fingerprint clearances and screening5 of 5 documents
- Background check authorization
- Fingerprint-based background check results (clearance letter or vendor receipt)
- State clearances (including a child abuse clearance where required)
- Sex offender registry check
- Professional references
Health and safety training4 of 4 documents
- TB test (skin test, blood test or screening form)
- Mandated reporter training certificate
- Bloodborne pathogens training certificate
- District-specific training certificates (such as CPR or first aid)
Onboarding paperwork4 of 4 documents
- Form I-9 and identity documents
- Form W-4
- Direct deposit form
- District policy acknowledgments
Form I-9, W-4, background check authorization and photo ID come built in. Licenses, clearances and training certificates are set up once as your own document types, named the way your districts name them, and Amy learns what candidates call their files.
School staffing compliance for every role you place
Each role carries its own paperwork. Chase rules in your ATS decide who is chased and for what, so a day-to-day substitute and a school psychologist get different lists.
Day-to-day substitutes
A large pool cleared before the first bell and kept current all year.
Long-term substitutes and vacancies
Covering a leave or an open position, often with district training on top.
Paraprofessionals and aides
Classroom and special education aides, where paraprofessional credentialing means a certification, an assessment score or proof of college credit.
School-based therapy staffing
Related services providers such as SLPs, OTs, PTs and school psychologists, each with a professional license.
School nurses
A nursing license plus the same clearances as classroom staff.
Documents land in the ATS you already use
Education staffing questions
How do you onboard substitute teachers faster?
Most of the wait is chasing each candidate for what they have not sent. Asking for every missing item in one message, on the channel they read, and following up until the file is complete removes most of it. GettingDocs does this from the moment a substitute is added to a job.
What goes on a substitute teacher onboarding checklist?
Usually a state teaching license or substitute permit, college transcripts, a fingerprint-based background check, any state clearances the district requires, a TB test, a mandated reporter training certificate, bloodborne pathogens training, references, and the Form I-9, W-4, direct deposit form and district policy acknowledgments. Requirements vary by state and district, so check each client’s list.
Does GettingDocs run fingerprinting or background checks?
No. The candidate completes fingerprinting through the approved vendor, and GettingDocs collects the clearance letter or receipt, checks it is the right document and readable, and files it. Decisions about school staffing compliance stay with your team and the district.
Can it help with teacher credential tracking during the year?
Chase rules read your ATS. If a candidate field or status shows a license, permit or clearance is due for renewal, a rule can ask that candidate for the new one and file it on their record when it arrives.
How does this help with back-to-school hiring?
Amy chases the whole roster at once, every day at the time you choose, instead of one email thread at a time. Your team sees who is cleared and who is stuck.
Which applicant tracking systems does it work with?
Zoho Recruit, Recruit CRM and Crelate today, with Greenhouse coming soon. Documents that are already on a candidate’s record are not asked for again.
Get your whole roster cleared before the first bell
See Amy collect a clearance packet from one of your own substitutes on a 15 minute call.
