Clearances

Volunteer Clearances

Act 153 of 2014, effective December 31, 2014, requires any adult having direct contact with schoolchildren to secure three clearances, which must be on record with the school district prior to volunteers providing any programs, activities, or services sponsored by or held at schools.

The clearances must be dated within five years. Clearances remain active for five years from the date on the clearance.

The three required clearances include:

1. PA State Police Criminal Record Check (https://epatch.state.pa.us/Home.jsp) (Free);

2. PA Child Abuse History Clearance (https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home) (Free); and

3. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background Clearance (PDE - Federal Criminal Background Check Page). (Please use this link and ensure that when you register, you are securing clearances from the PA Department of Education: $22.60) Code to submit for FBI is 1KG6XN. We cannot verify clearances from other agencies (i.e., Department of Welfare).

All clearances can be applied and paid for electronically and will remain valid for 60 months. Unfortunately, any financial costs will be at the expense of the applicant.

Please know that while the PA State Police Criminal Record Check and PA Child Abuse History Clearance only involve applying for and securing the results, the Pennsylvania Department of Education FBI Clearance is a multiple-step process that requires an online registration as well as fingerprinting prior to securing the results. Hours of operation, specific contact information, and locations may be found at IdentoGO by accessing the site using the service code 1KG6XN listed from the Pennsylvania Department of Education website referenced above for "Federal Criminal Background Check" information.

Employee Clearances

The initial clearances for employment must be dated within the year. Clearances remain active for five years from the date on the clearance.

The three required clearances include:

1. PA State Police Criminal Record Check (https://epatch.state.pa.us/Home.jsp);

2. PA Child Abuse History Clearance (https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home); and

3. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background Clearance (PDE - Federal Criminal Background Check Page). (Please use this link and ensure that when you register, you are securing clearances from the PA Department of Education.) Code to submit for FBI is 1KG6XN. We cannot verify clearances from other agencies (i.e., Department of Welfare).

All clearances can be applied and paid for electronically and will remain valid for 60 months. Any financial costs will be at the expense of the applicant.