CLEARANCES
Under Pennsylvania law, all applicants for employment in public and private schools must have Pre-employment Clearances and Testing. All Pre-employment Clearances and Testing's must be completed or current (less than one year old) and submitted to the Human Resource Department.
Prior to Board Approval, the following 3 Clearances are required to be completed and submitted to the AHSD HR Department.
ACT 114 - (FBI) FEDERAL CRIMINAL HISTORY CLEARANCE
The Federal Criminal History Clearance is required to be completed every 5 years and the application can be submitted online, however, individuals will need to schedule an appointment at an approved IdentoGO location in Pennsylvania to have their fingerprints processed. Individuals will be asked to provide a service code: 1KG6XN.
After creating an account or logging in with their existing credentials, they will need to request this clearance for employment within a school district in Pennsylvania. Applicants should be aware that the following items are needed in order for the request to be processed at the IdentoGO site:
Payment will be accepted on-site. Please send a photo of the receipt to [email protected] so HR can check the results. Be sure to download the certificate as soon as the link is open as it may only be viewed once.
ACT 151 - CHILD ABUSE CLEARANCE
The PA Child Abuse History Clearance is required to be completed every 5 years and the application can be submitted online. Applicants will need knowledge of previous addresses since 1975 and names of everyone they have lived with at any time since 1975. After registering and following the prompts, an email will be sent when the clearance becomes available for printing. Please submit a copy of the clearance to [email protected].
Please click here for step-by-step instructions on how to obtain the Child Abuse History Clearance. If you are an existing employee, start on step 11.
ACT 34 - PA STATE POLICE CRIMINAL HISTORY CLEARANCE
The Pennsylvania Criminal History Clearance is required to be completed every 5 years and the application can be submitted online. Once an account has been created or the individual has logged in with their existing credentials, they will need to click "Submit a New Record Check." When filling out the application, select the "School District" option for the reason for the request.
Once the application is completed, the results should be available immediately. Click on "Control Number" and "Certification Form."
Please print out the certification and send the certification, control number, and request ID to [email protected].
If results are not immediately received, an email will be sent to the individual when results are ready to be viewed. If the applicant did not provide an email address, they will need to log back into the PATCH system with their control number and the date of application submission to obtain results.
REQUIRED FORMS
In addition, all applicants will receive these forms in their employment packet and will need to complete the following forms prior to start date:
ACT 168 - SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
As required by Act 168, an applicant who wishes to be employed by a school district where they will be in a position having direct contact with children, must provide the information requested in this form. The applicant may have to complete more than one form if they were previously employed at multiple schools.
A school entity or independent contractor may not hire an applicant who does not provide the required information for a position involving direct contact with children.
PHYSICAL & TUBERCULOSIS TEST
The Pennsylvania Public School Code Section 1418. Medical Examinations of Teachers and Other Persons requires that "teachers, janitors, cooks, and other cafeteria help and all others employed at schools" have a pre-employment medical examination. This examination must also include a TB test (one-step) which could be done at most urgent care/physicians.
The School Personnel Health Record will be included in the employment packet sent to the new hire by HR. This paperwork must be signed and dated by their Physician before starting employment.
ACT 24 - ARREST/CONVICTION REPORT AND CERTIFICATION
Please click here to obtain PDE 6004 to find instructions and a certification form to review, complete, and submit to [email protected].
REQUIRED TRAININGS
Finally, all applicants must complete the following trainings before working with students:
ACT 126 - RECOGNIZING CHILD ABUSE TRAINING
All PA public school employees are required to complete the 3 hour Mandated Reporter Training every 5 years. New employees should use the link above while current employees should check their email for the link sent by Vector. Please use a laptop or a desktop computer to take the course.
ACT 71 - SUICIDE PREVENTION & EDUCATORS COURSE
Act 71 SECTION 1526 of the School Code requires school entities to:
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Adopt a youth suicide awareness and prevention policy; and
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Provide ongoing professional development in youth suicide awareness and prevention for professional educators in buildings serving students in grades 6-12
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Require 4 hours of training in youth suicide awareness and prevention every 5 years for professional educators serving grades 6-12. The training can be found here.
Please click here for more information regarding Student Programs/Resources on PDEs website.