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Clearance Information

Obtaining State-Required Clearances

In order to commence employment with Fox Chapel Area School District, three clearances and one certificate are required:

  • Pennsylvania State Criminal History Record (Act 34);
     
  • Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Report of Child Abuse (Act 151)
     
  • Federal Criminal History Record including fingerprinting (Act 114).
     
  • Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Training Certificate (Act 126)

If information obtained through these clearances reveal that you are disqualified from employment, your appointment/employment will be immediately revoked, and you will be removed from the position. Your opportunity for employment will be terminated. All costs associated with clearance applications are the responsibility of the applicant.

After employment commences, should an employee be arrested or convicted of a “Reportable Offense,” Act 24 requires that the employee or contractor complete an Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification form within 72 hours of said arrest or conviction. A list of Reportable Offenses can be found under 24 P.S. § 1-111(e) or can be obtained from the Human Resources Office. If an employee fails or refuses to submit this form, the district is required to submit the employee for a new background check. If information obtained through background checks reveal that the applicant is disqualified from employment or approval, the individual shall be immediately dismissed from employment.

Clearance Application Instructions

Act 34 - Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Background Check

  • Visit https://epatch.pa.gov/home
     
  • Complete and submit all required information
     
  • After payment, access the “Certification” link and print the clearance
     
  • You must submit the actual clearance, receipts will not be accepted as proof.
     

Act 151 - Pennsylvania Child Abuse History

  • Visit http://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS
     
  • You will be promoted to “Create an Account”
     
  • Complete and submit all required information (Note: You must select “Public School Employee” as purpose for clearance.)
     
  • You will receive an email stating that your request is being processed. Once you receive an email stating that your request has been processed, revisit the site and print your clearance.
     

Act 114 - FBI Criminal Background Check 

  • Registration - The applicant must register prior to going to the fingerprint site. Walk in service is allowed but all applicants are required to complete pre-enrollment in the new Universal Enrollment system. Pre-enrollment can be completed online or over the phone. The registration website is available online 24 hours/day, seven days per week at https://uenroll.identogo.com. Telephonic registration is available at 1-844-321-2101 Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm EST. During the pre-enrollment process, all demographic data for the applicant is collected (name, address, etc.) along with notices about identification requirements and other important information. The "Service Code" is: 1KG6XN. 
  • Payment - The applicant will pay a fee of $22.60 for the fingerprint service and to secure an unofficial copy of the Criminal History Record. Major Credit Cards as well as Money orders or cashier’s checks payable to MorphoTrust will be accepted on site for those applicants who are required to pay individually. No cash transactions or personal checks are allowed.

    IDEMIA has also established a payment option for fingerprinting services for entities interested in paying the applicant’s fee. This new option provides a payment ‘coupon’ that the entity will provide to each applicant for use. Each coupon is unique and may only be used one time. Account applications must be completed prior to the applicant visiting the fingerprint site. The authorized representative must complete the account application. To establish a billing account, visit the website https://www.identogo.com/locations/pennsylvania and download an application.  
  • Fingerprint Locations – After registration, the applicant proceeds to the fingerprint site of their choice for fingerprinting. The location of the fingerprint sites and days and hours of operation for each site are posted on IDEMIA's website at https://uenroll.identogo.com. The location of fingerprint sites may change over time; applicants are encouraged to confirm the site location nearest to their location. PDE encourages entities where access to the fingerprint location is more than 25 miles away to contact IDEMIA and suggest areas where another closer site could be established.
  • Fingerprinting - At the fingerprint site the Enrollment Agents (EA) manages the fingerprint collection process. The fingerprint transaction begins when the EA reviews the applicant’s qualified State or Federal photo ID before processing the applicant’s transaction. Applicants will not be processed if they cannot produce an acceptable photo ID. After the identity of the applicant has been established, all ten fingers are scanned to complete the process. The entire fingerprint capture process should take no more than three to five minutes.
  • Report Access – For the public or private school or higher education institution to access the official report via the electronic system, applicants must present their UEID to the hiring entity (as shown on the receipt provided after fingerprint capture). This process allows an applicant to provide multiple potential employers with their UEID, as the report is linked to the UEID number and not assigned to a specific school. If an applicant has lost their receipt or needs to confirm UEID, the applicant may visit the UEP website (https://uenroll.identogo.com/ ) and simply check status of their file by providing alternate personal information. Applicants will enter their personal information after clicking in the lower portion of that screen to obtain their receipt with the UEID.

    Applicants will receive an unofficial copy of their report. However, the school is required to review the official CHRI online and print a file copy of the CHRI if the applicant is hired by the school or their contractor, or if the applicant is approved for student teaching.
     

Fingerprint Corrections/Submissions

In some cases, a classifiable fingerprint record cannot be obtained. Immediately upon indication, IDEMIA will take corrective action to notify the applicant of the need to re-print the applicant at no cost to the applicant. This corrective action will be completed at the earliest possible time that is convenient for the applicant. IDEMIA will contact the applicant directly via email should a re-print be necessary. NOTE: Reprinting can be applied to each applicant one time only.

If the applicant’s fingerprints are unable to be transmitted electronically by IDEMIA to the FBI a second time, the applicant will be notified that a “name check” process will be instituted. The name check is a manual review of records completed by the FBI, with the results being sent to PDE. Upon receipt of name check results from the FBI, PDE mails a letter directly to the applicant. The letter contains the applicant’s name check results and may be presented to schools in lieu of the electronic report. This process takes 4 – 6 weeks; please allow ample time for fingerprinting.

 
FBI Clearance Portability

If an FBI clearance is more than 12 months old at the time of submission, and/or is not accessible through the 3M Cogent system, new employees are permitted to submit paper copies of Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) reports that are between 1 and 5 years old. The paper copy should be the unofficial CHRI report on Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) letterhead provided to the applicant by 3M Cogent at the time of clearance application. Applicants who have not retained their unofficial paper copies from 3M Cogent may request copies of their CHRI reports from their past employer. In addition to the unofficial CHRI report, an applicant must complete and submit to a prospective employer the Act 24 Arrest/Conviction Report as required by Section 111(j)(1) of the School Code, indicating that the applicant has not been disqualified from employment.

For applicants required to obtain FBI "name checks" due to their inability to register readable fingerprints, copies of the reports issued on PDE letterhead and disclosing the results of the name checks should be used.


Act 126 Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Training Certificate Instructions

  • Register online at the following link: Act 126 Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting
     
  • Complete free 3-hour online training course
     
  • Print/save Certificate
     
  • Send hard copy Human Resources
     
  • Training must be completed within 30 days of hire.
     
  • Certificate is valid for 5 years from date of issue.