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What Clearances Do I Need?

To become approved for the District Volunteer Program, you must submit the following current clearances AT THE SAME TIME:

  • Act 34 Clearance (Criminal Background Check)

  • Act 151 Clearance (Child Abuse History)

  • FBI Clearance or a 10-Year Affidavit Form, depending on the period of time as a resident in PA.

 
ALL THREE OF THESE ITEMS NEED TO BE SUBMITTED
AT THE SAME TIME TO:
 

Jennifer Harris (jharris@goldenrams.com)

Highlands Administrative Center

724-226-2400, ext. 5606

 
Please wait until you have all three required documents before submitting them to the school district. 
 
Changes to the state’s Child Protective Services Law passed at the end of 2014 require parents and community members willing to volunteer in our schools to apply for and submit official clearances from the state of Pennsylvania with the school district. Previously, background check software that checked the same records but was made available through the district at no cost to the volunteer was required to participate in classroom activities, field trips and booster groups. Parents or volunteers who have completed this background check process must provide the state clearances before volunteering again after July 1, 2015.
 
Under Act 153, all volunteers must provide the PA State Criminal Record Check and the PA Child Abuse History Clearance.
 
If a volunteer has resided in Pennsylvania for the past ten (10) years, they may sign a 10-Year Affidavit Form, stating that they have not been convicted of any of the listed crimes. NOTE: A Federal Criminal History Report is also required through the FBI if a volunteer has not lived in the state for the past ten (10) years.
 
The state clearance costs are waived for volunteers. If the federal clearance is required, the cost is $22.60. Cost of the FBI clearance is the responsibility of the volunteer. As of 2015, clearances must be updated and resubmitted every 5 years.
 
Parents will still be permitted to attend award assemblies, after-school family functions and events on school property and performances without submitting clearances. Volunteers who wish to donate time in other capacities, such as classroom parent, party helper, field trip chaperone, backstage assistants for performances, volunteer team coaches or any other volunteer position that includes direct contact with children must submit clearances.
 
As always, any visitors into a school building will still be required to check in through the Raptor system with a valid state-issued photo ID or Driver’s License. The Raptor system is a visitor log that also instantly alerts the school administrators of anyone who is a registered sex offender and custody or security issues. More than 12,000 schools nationwide utilize the Raptor System in their school security procedures. Highlands was the first district in the state to implement the procedure in 2008.