One of the teacher education requirements prior to beginning professional coursework is completion of a criminal background check as part of the pre-service certification application process. This is a requirement for individuals who will be working with children. At the time of application for student teaching, student teachers are asked to self-disclose any change in their criminal background history. If required by the school district where the student teacher is placed, student teachers must make themselves available for and pay any fee for any level of criminal background check required by the school system.