In December, Linda Gail Cannon, a substitute teacher at T.W. Josey High School, was jailed on charges of falsifying her resume and college transcripts.

School officials discovered the discrepancies only after Ms. Cannon applied for a full-time position.

Her arrest prompted concerns about substitutes in Augusta-area classrooms and what kind of screening they undergo.

Richmond, Columbia and Aiken counties require criminal background checks before a new substitute is allowed to enter the classroom.

"It doesn't make people who are applying happy because they want to apply online and be hired yesterday without being seen," said Connie Davis, the personnel director for Columbia County schools.

Ed McKeon is a substitute teacher at Harlem High School. Columbia County screens the credentials and criminal backgrounds of its substitutes. JIM BLAYLOCK/STAFF

Applicants who are being considered are routinely checked through the Georgia Crime Information Center, something that can be done within 24 hours. If their criminal backgrounds and work histories check out, their names can go before the Board of Education for tentative approval as substitutes, with final approval subject to the fingerprinting results.

Even though she had been a substitute in the Columbia County school system since the 1980s, Marion Malato said, she had to undergo a background check before she returned to work in 1994.

As an extra precaution, a state law that went into effect last year requires school systems to fingerprint all employees within five years.

Although Ms. Malato, who substitutes almost daily, is a recognizable face at Bel Air Elementary School and other schools, she welcomes the scrutiny.

"I think it's a good idea nowadays for that to happen," she said during a break from substituting in Dianna Walters' third-grade class at Bel Air recently.

Background checks that involve fingerprinting take time, however, and subs are usually in the classroom before the results return.

"It will typically take us three to four months to completely clear someone interested in being a substitute teacher," Ms. Davis said.

Most school systems in Georgia run computer background checks, which typically find arrests or convictions in other states.

In 1998, however, the Savannah-Chatham County public schools hired 22-year-old Darnique Jefferson as a substitute teacher. The background check on Mr. Jefferson did not show an arrest in Virginia in 1995 on a sexual battery charge that was eventually dismissed.

Ed McKeon, a substitute at Harlem High School, teaches an algebra lesson. Richmond, Columbia and Aiken counties all require criminal background checks for new substitutes. JIM BLAYLOCK/STAFF

Mr. Jefferson was hired by the school system, despite admitting the arrest on his original application.

In April 1999, according to court records, Mr. Jefferson raped a 12-year-old Savannah girl who attended the Pearl Smith Learning Center where he taught.

In July 2001, an attorney representing the girl's mother filed a lawsuit against the school board in which she accused the system of tampering with a "security check" document. Three years later, Mr. Jefferson's arrest admission had been removed from the form on file with the school district.

Although local school systems may be diligent in checking the criminal histories of prospective substitutes, checks of education credentials might not be as thorough.

"Each candidate during the application process has to have three references, and then we ask for evidence of their educational background, like a photocopy of a diploma," said Troy Nobles, Aiken County's assistant superintendent for Area 3 schools.

Most of the time, Mr. Nobles said, the candidates bring in the original. Over time, school officials become familiar with the look of a diploma for a particular school, which makes fake documents easier to recognize.

Aiken County does criminal background checks, too, according to Nancy Smith, Area 2 assistant superintendent.

In Richmond County, candidates are required to submit their official high school, college or university transcripts.

Justin Martin, the public information director for Richmond County schools, said the process typically takes one to two weeks if an applicant has everything in line. The school system will place a substitute in the classroom without the official transcript if the other prerequisites check out, he said.

Mr. Martin said that was the case with Ms. Cannon. She passed the criminal background check, attended the workshop and submitted the required three letters of recommendation.

She also submitted copies of another woman's educational transcripts.

"It was just one of those things," Mr. Martin said.

Staff Writer Carly Phillips contributed to this article.

Reach Ashlee Griggs and Melissa Hall at (706) 724-0851 or newsroom@augustachronicle.com.