Mandatory Fingerprinting of Public School Teachers: Fascilitating Background Checks or Infringing on Individuals' Constitutional Rights?

With the continuing growth of governmental intrusions into the private lives of its citizens, critics increasingly have taken aim at state actions which unnecessarily burden an individual's right to be let alone. One group in particular - public school teachers - often endure tedious examinations of their private affairs as a condition of employment. This Note examines the current state of privacy concerns, specifically in the realm of public school teachers, and argues that a compromise must be struck that better balances the public's need to protect children from dangerous teachers with the individual teacher's right to privacy. The Note further argues that techniques other than fingerprint analysis may be employed that would provide a better suited mechanism for promoting the public good while imposing minimal encroachments on the privacy rights of the teachers.