Ontario School Boards Are Overhauling Police Record Checks in 2026 - What Staff, Volunteers & Service Providers Need to Know

Every Ontario school board is in the middle of a mass background-check campaign. If you work at a school, volunteer at one, deliver to one, fix something in one, or start a placement at one, you are now covered by a new provincial rule that tells the board exactly which check to ask for, how often, and by when.

The rule is Ontario Regulation 298/25, filed on December 5, 2025. It amends the older regulation that schools have used for 20+ years (O. Reg. 521/01) and it is already in force.

Here is the practical news most readers want up top: for the majority of newly covered roles - custodial, trades, IT, deliveries, food service, most back-office work, and overnight security - the regulation requires a CRJMC, not a Vulnerable Sector Check. A CRJMC is the check you can order online in about 15 minutes through crjmc.net. The VSC obligation is real, but narrower than most people assume. We will spell out exactly who falls where below.

What actually changed

Before 2026, school boards ran their own background-check processes using terms like "criminal background check" and "personal criminal history." Those terms did not line up with the rest of Ontario's police-check system. The new regulation fixes that by adopting the standard vocabulary from the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 (PRCRA), which defines three levels of check:

• CRC - Criminal Record Check

• CRJMC - Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check

• VSC - Vulnerable Sector Check

Four things are different as of now:

1. New words, new products. Boards now ask for a "police record check" (CRJMC or VSC, depending on the role) instead of the old generic terms.

2. A 5-year cadence. Every covered person gets a new check every 5 years, pinned to their birth month.

3. Volunteers and student placements are named in the law. They are no longer handled only by board policy - they are written into the regulation.

4. A 6-month freshness rule. Any check used to satisfy the regulation must have been completed within the last 6 months.

Who the rule covers

The regulation applies to every person who is or will be:

• an employee of the board

• a service provider at a school site

• a volunteer with the board

• a student on an educational placement

That is a very big group. Think teachers and ECEs, but also delivery drivers, roofers, IT vendors, parent volunteers, co-op students, and everyone in between.

CRJMC vs VSC - which one do you need?

The regulation splits the covered population into two buckets based on a PRCRA concept called "position of trust or authority in relation to pupils."

• If your role puts you in that position, you need a VSC.

• If it does not, you need a CRJMC.

In plain language, a position of trust or authority means you have power over pupils (you can direct them, discipline them, evaluate them, take them off-site) or you occupy a role where pupils and parents reasonably rely on you for special care (coach, bus driver, field-trip supervisor). Just being in the building is not enough. A contractor fixing a boiler after hours is not in a position of trust or authority simply because a caretaker lets them in.

Roles that need a VSC

These are the people with a direct, supervisory relationship with students:

• Classroom teachers and occasional teachers

• Educational assistants and early childhood educators

• Principals, vice-principals, system principals

• Coaches and extracurricular leaders

• Bus drivers and transportation staff

• Volunteers who work directly with students (reading buddies, tutors, field-trip supervisors)

• Teacher candidates on practicum

• Child-and-youth workers

VSCs can only be done by the police service where the applicant lives. They cannot be ordered online through a third party. Volunteers pay a reduced VSC fee at the police; paid staff pay the employment rate.

Roles that need a CRJMC (the bigger bucket)

For everyone else the regulation covers, a CRJMC is the required check. This is the list you likely came here for:

Facilities, trades, and maintenance

• Custodial and cleaning contractors (including after-hours and summer crews)

• HVAC, boiler, refrigeration technicians

• Electricians, plumbers, gas fitters

• Roofers, glaziers, painters, flooring installers

• General contractors and construction workers on school grounds outside instructional hours

• Landscapers, grounds crews, snow-removal operators

• Pest control technicians

• Locksmiths

• Elevator and lift service technicians

• Fire-alarm and sprinkler-system inspectors

IT, AV, and equipment

• IT vendors doing network, server, or device work without pupil-facing responsibility

• Copier and printer service technicians

• AV installers, projector and SMART-board technicians

• Phone/VoIP and PA-system installers

• Security-system and CCTV installers

Deliveries and logistics

• Parcel and courier drivers

• Food and beverage delivery drivers (drop-off, not pupil-facing service)

• Bottled-water, vending, and uniform/laundry route drivers

• Furniture installers and movers

Food service (non-supervisory)

• Kitchen staff prepping meals in back-of-house with no pupil contact

• Catering crews for staff events

• Cafeteria vendors whose role is food prep, not student supervision

Administrative and professional

• Back-office staff (payroll, procurement, accounts payable) without pupil contact

• Finance, audit, and accounting contractors

• HR advisors and benefits administrators working at the board office

• Architects, engineers, and building consultants on site visits

• Energy and sustainability auditors

• Photographers for facility or staff photography

• Short-term consultants, translators, and interpreters engaged for document work

Security and investigations

• Licensed security guards on overnight, weekend, or empty-building patrol

• Mobile security / alarm response guards

• Private investigators retained for document review or HR/workplace investigations that do not involve interviewing pupils

• Loss-prevention contractors working board warehouses or admin facilities

Educational placements tangential to pupil contact

• Co-op students placed in maintenance shops, IT departments, or board-office administrative roles

If you are a licensed security guard or private investigator, you already hold a CRJMC through your PSISA licence. If it was issued within the last 6 months, you can use that same CRJMC for school-board purposes - you do not need to buy a second one.

Why a CRJMC is the practical choice for the list above:

• You can order it online through crjmc.net and get results in about 15 minutes after ID verification, for $59.99.

• It includes convictions, outstanding charges, peace bonds, judicial orders, and certain non-conviction dispositions - everything a board needs for non-trust site-access screening.

• It is reusable across employers and boards for 6 months.

• It does not depend on the local police service's backlog.

The deadline tables (in plain language)

The regulation attaches deadlines to your birth month and to when your last check was done.

If you have never had a PRC collected by a board: your deadline was February 1, 2026. If you are still in this bucket, apply now. The board can let you keep working while the check is processed, but only with additional safeguards in place.

If your most recent check was on or before September 1, 2021 (this is the first transition group):

Note for July/August readers: your deadline is NOT the last day of your birth month - it is June 30.

If your most recent check was after September 1, 2021 (the ongoing 5-year cycle):

Example: your last check was March 14, 2023, and your birth month is October. Your next check is due by October 31, 2028.

Special case: if your birth month is January, February, or March AND your most recent check was between September 2, 2021 and December 31, 2021, your first deadline is the last day of your birth month in 2027.

New starts after December 5, 2025: your first check has to be collected no later than the day you begin work or placement.

Charged or convicted mid-cycle: a new check is required "as soon as reasonably possible." This is independent of your 5-year clock.

The 6-month freshness rule

A check is only valid for the regulation if it was completed within 6 months before your deadline. Don't order it 8 or 9 months early - it will be rejected. The sweet spot is 2 to 4 months before your deadline.

Annual Offence Declaration

In every year you do not submit a new check, the board has to collect a signed Offence Declaration from you by September 1. Boards typically push these out through online portals in August.

What it costs

• CRJMC online via crjmc.net: $59.99, results in about 15 minutes

• OPP online record check: around $41

• Police-issued VSC for paid employment: $60-$75 depending on service (Toronto is about $71.72)

• Police-issued VSC for volunteers / unpaid placements: $25-$30 (Toronto is about $26.72)

Since April 1, 2022, Ontario waives the fee on CRCs and CRJMCs for bona fide volunteers at police services. That waiver does not apply to VSCs.

What to do next (short version)

1. Figure out which check you need. Use the VSC/CRJMC test above. If your role is not a position of trust or authority over pupils, you need a CRJMC.

2. Check your deadline. Use the tables, or wait for your board's email. Don't leave it to the last week.

3. Time your order inside the 6-month window. Aim for 2-4 months before your deadline.

4. For a CRJMC: order through crjmc.net - about 15 minutes, $59.99.

5. For a VSC: apply through the police service where you live. Toronto is running about a 2-week backlog in early 2026.

6. Submit your result through your board's portal or to your HR contact.

7. File your Offence Declaration by September 1 every year you are not submitting a new check.

8. Keep a copy of every check and declaration.

Q&A

I'm a parent volunteer at my kid's school. Do I need a VSC or a CRJMC? Almost always a VSC, because volunteers who work directly with students are in a position of trust. Apply through the police service where you live. For most Ontario police services, volunteer VSCs are offered at a reduced fee ($25-$30 range).

I'm a contractor who fixes boilers in schools after hours. My board is asking for a VSC. Is that right? The regulation requires a CRJMC for your role, not a VSC. A board can choose to be more conservative, but a CRJMC already satisfies the law for after-hours trades work. You can order one online through crjmc.net.

I'm a licensed security guard. Can I use the CRJMC I already have for my PSISA licence? Yes, as long as it was issued within the last 6 months, it is a valid PRC for school-board purposes for non-trust roles like overnight or empty-building patrol. Give the board a copy. You do not need to buy a second check.

I was born in August and my last check was in 2019. When is my deadline? June 30, 2026. The July-August cohort does not follow the "last day of birth month" rule - the regulation uses June 30 instead.

My PRC is 7 months old. Will my board accept it? No. The regulation requires that a PRC used to meet your deadline be performed within 6 months before the deadline. You will need a fresh one.

I just got hired in April 2026. What's my first deadline? The day you start. New starts after December 5, 2025 must have a check collected no later than their start date. After that, you are on the 5-year cycle.

Can I use the same CRJMC for two different school boards? Yes - within its 6-month validity window and if both boards agree. A CRJMC issued through crjmc.net is a standard document you can share.

Does a withdrawn or dropped charge show on my check? Generally not on a CRC or CRJMC. Non-conviction information can appear on a VSC in narrow circumstances where a strict PRCRA test is met.

What happens if my check doesn't come back in time? The regulation has a built-in grace period. A board can let you keep working or volunteering while your check is being processed, as long as you apply as soon as possible, the delay is reasonable, and the board puts additional safeguards in place. Don't panic - but don't ignore the deadline either.

My board said they accept a CRJMC - can I order it online, or does it have to come from police? Online is fine. A CRJMC ordered through a provider like crjmc.net is the same legal document as one obtained directly from a police service. Results typically come back in about 15 minutes after ID verification.

Get started

If you are in one of the CRJMC-eligible roles above, you can complete the whole thing online right now.

Start your CRJMC - 15 minutes, $54.99

If you are in a VSC role, your check has to go through the police service where you live. Your board's HR team or volunteer coordinator can tell you which form to use.

Sources: Ontario Regulation 298/25 (ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r25298), Ontario Regulation 521/01, Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015, TDSB Procedure PR747, OCDSB Police Record Checks page, Peel DSB volunteer notice (April 2026), Ontario volunteer fee waiver news release (April 1, 2022).