Clearances
Employees and volunteers are now required to provide school districts with updated clearance certifications (Criminal Record Check, Child Abuse History Certification, and FBI Fingerprint Clearance) every five (5) years. When you submit clearances, please keep a copy for your records, as the Personnel Office will not be responsible for providing you with copies. Please note that although the Personnel Office will track clearances, maintaining updated clearances is a condition of employment, and it is up to the employee to be aware of when his/her clearances expire.
Arrest/Conviction Report (Act 24)
Please print and read this form and submit the signature page only to the District Office. Act 24 requires all current school employees and volunteers to complete a Pennsylvania Department of Education (“PDE") form to report prior arrests or convictions for any offense listed in the newly expanded Section 111(e).
Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check (Act 34)
This can be done online in a matter of minutes or through the mail in a matter of weeks. To complete this online, fill out the required information and pay the fee with a credit card. You will have the results back in a matter of minutes. Be sure to click on the "CERTIFICATION FORM" link to print the actual certificate that is needed. Print several copies of the results from the screen or save it as a PDF file to be accessed later because the watermark in the printout will not show in a Xerox copy.
Federal Criminal History Record Information (Act 114)
1. Applicants must register for FBI background check services prior to before being fingerprinted. A fingerprint site may be selected and an appointment can be made during the registration process. However; if you wish to go to the IU in Edinboro for fingerprinting you must schedule your appointment with the IU prior to registering through Indentogo. Go to https://www.iu5.org/human-resources/fingerprinting then follow the directions listed to schedule your appointment. Once your appointment has been scheduled and you receive the Registration Code to be used in place of selecting a fingerprint site you may then proceed to register to be fingerprinted. This may be done at www.identogo.com by choosing the Digital Fingerprinting online registration link. When registering online, an applicant must use the appropriate agency specific service code. The Service Code requested for school district in Pennsylvania is 1KG6XN. Make sure that you use this service code because the information will be sent to the incorrect department and the information is not transferable. You will be required to reregister and pay for an additional clearance. Following the prompts to register for the digital fingerprints. Telephonic registration is available at 1-844-321-2101 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST.
2. The applicant will pay a fee of $23.85 for the fingerprint services and to secure an unofficial copy of the Criminal History Record. Major credit/debit cards, as well as money orders or cashier's checks payable to MorphoTrust will be accepted on site for payment. No cash transactions or personal checks are allowed.
3. Once you have registered (either online or via telephone) you will proceed to the fingerprinting site at the time of your appointment. Make sure that you take the form of identification you registered durning the registration process, your UEID number which is listed on the registration confirmation, and either a credit card or debit card with you when you are fingerprinted.
4. It is your responsibility to provide the PENNCREST School District with your Universal Enrollment ID (UEID) and verification that you have been fingerprinted and that your clearance is being processes.
Mandated Reporter Training (Act 126)
In response to high profile child abuse cases, the Pennsylvania General Assembly made significant amendments to the Child Protective Services Law. All school employees, including contracted substitute teachers and independent contractors of school entities, must now receive Mandated Reporter training every five (5) years.
This training can be done online through the Child Welfare Resource Center link: http://www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu/. You will need to register on this website, complete the online training, then print out and submit the Certificate of Completion (document must show your name and the date of training).
PA Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Abuse History Certification (Act 151)
You many complete the application (follow directions and remember your log-in credentials) and pay online with a credit card. You will receive an email when your clearance has been processed. Log back into your account to print the certificate. If you send the paper application, you must pay with a money order. Results may take 3-5 weeks to be returned, so please allow enough time! Make sure your provide the CERTIFICATE, not just the receipt.
Sexual Misconduct/Abuse Disclosure Release (Act 168)
All New Employees must complete the above Act 168 form in order to begin employment with PENNCREST School District. One form must be completed for your current employer (regardless of whether the employer was a school entity and/or where the applicant had direct contact with children). A form must be completed for all former employers of the applicant that were school entities and all former employers where the applicant was employed in a position where he or she had direct contact with children. An employee may not begin employment until all verification forms are completed. Return the completed form(s) to the Personnel Office to be distributed. Do not send forms directly to your current or former employers. The Personnel Office will distribute forms to previous employers and track their return. Instructions for completing the form are on the first page.