Four people who sit on the board of trustees of three Newark charter schools were disqualified from their position because they did not complete a criminal background check, according to documents released by the New Jersey Department of Education or DOE on Monday.

The news comes after the state DOE had performed more than 5,000 criminal background checks on school board members and charter school trustees after a new law requiring the checks went into effect last year in July, according to a statement from the NJ DOE.

For failing criminal background checks, the state DOE disqualified a total of 17 school board members and charter school trustees due to a prior criminal conviction, according to a list provided by the state DOE on Monday. None on that list of 17 is from a Newark school.

For not completing the criminal background checks, 10 charter school trustees and 2 school board members were disqualified, according to the state DOE. That list of 12 includes the four Newark charter school trustees.

The four Newark charter school trustees who were disqualified for not completing their background checks are: Tom-meka Archinard of Great Oaks Charter School, Leonard Jefferies of Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School, and Kalisha Morgan and Dwayne Benjamin, both from Visions Academy Charter High School.

Garvey Ince, Visions' school business administrator, said the inclusion of Morgan on the disqualification list was made in error. The state DOE already has Morgan's fingerprints and background check because she is a current co-principal at Orange High School.

"That is a mistake. That is an error on their part," he said.

Ince said he called the state DOE Tuesday to clarify Morgan's situation. As for Benjamin, the other Visions charter school trustee, Ince said Benjamin could not complete his background check due to a death in the family.

"We understand. It's fine," said Ince, who indicated that Benjamin will reapply in the future after his affairs are settled.

A call to Great Oaks Charter School was not returned Tuesday.

Calls to Adelaide L Sanford Charter School and Fredrica Bey, school founder, were not returned as well

Bey and the charter school principal, De Lacy Davis, were recently sued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly misusing more than $200,000 in federal grants, according to a previous Patch report. They are accused of misusing funds intended for an anti-cime program for Bey's non-profit group, Women in Support of the Million Man March.

School board members and charter school trustees have had several months to comply with a law, enacted last year, which says that every board member must undergo a criminal background check in order to remain eligible, according to a previous Patch report. Board members and trustees can be removed if they fail to undergo the checks or if they have been convicted of any of a broad range of crimes including offenses involving children, weapons or narcotics.

The original deadline was December 31 and was then extended to January 27, a statement from the state DOE read.

"We have worked hard over the past six months to ensure minimal disruption to school boards and charter schools, while processing more than 5,000 board members and trustee background checks," read an emailed statement from the state DOE. "All but a dozen individuals met their obligations, under the law."

Documents provided by the NJ DOE are attached to this report in PDF forms.