Nevada officials have raised concerns that a state practice of using Social Security numbers as identification on teacher licenses may be exposing them to identity theft.
  
State law requires some 32,000 teachers and school administrators to submit their Social Security numbers for the licensing process, but it does not specifically call for them to be used as the license identification number.   

John Jasonek, executive director of the union that represents Clark County School District teachers, says that's a practice, "That's got to stop now."
  
The issue was raised earlier this month when state Board of Education members questioned the inclusion of a teacher's Social Security number on materials distributed publicly during a license revocation hearing.
  
Superintendent Keith Rheault says the Social Security numbers are necessary for conducting background checks. He says individual Social Security numbers and home addresses are usually blacked out before a license copy is released.
  
The Nevada Attorney General's Office is researching the issue.
  
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)