VOLUNTEERS AND REQUIRED CLEARANCES

*All clearances must be new within 1 year of date of registration*

 The Southern Tioga School District is grateful for each parent and community member who contributes to the success of students.  

Please have ALL the following clearances available to upload when completing the Volunteer Registration Form

1. Act 24 – Arrest / Conviction Form

2. Act 34 – PA State Criminal History Clearance 

• Available online:  EPATCH website 
• Choose “Submit a New Record check”, then follow the instructions.
• Results should appear on screen.  
• Print out the certificate with a copy of the State seal and submit to STSD.
• If the response is “Request Under Review or Pending”, you must periodically check back with the website until your request is processed.  

3. Act 114 – Federal Background Check Clearance – OR – Sworn Affidavit

• Register at IdentoGO website or by calling 1-844-321-2101 
• Use service code: 1KG6ZJ
• Select “Schedule an Appointment”, then follow the remaining instructions.
• You must provide your receipt of payment to STSD

Nearest Locations: 

• IdentoGo – State Agency – 11473 Route 6 Wellsboro
• Susquehanna Computer Innovations – 280 Kane St, Ste 1, S. Williamsport
• BLaST IU 17 – 33 Springbrook Dr, Canton

*The Act 114 FBI Criminal History Report can be waived if the volunteer is unpaid and signs an affidavit stating they lived in Pennsylvania for the past 10 years and that they did not commit certain crimes elsewhere.  Volunteers who have not resided in Pennsylvania for the past 10 years but have obtained their FBI Criminal History Report and it is less than a year old are not required to obtain another Report but must provide a copy of it to the District.

4. Act 151 – Child Abuse Clearance

• Available online:  Child Welfare website
• Create Individual Account, click next
• Provide the required information and click finish. 
• You will immediately receive an email with a temporary password.

Go back to Child Welfare website and click login

• Click Access My Clearances and continue 
• Login using your Keystone ID and the password that was emailed to you. 
• You will be prompted to change your password then submit.
• Accept the Terms and Conditions and continue
• Create a clearance application – CAREFULLY read and follow all instructions
• For “Purpose of Clearance”:  choose “VOLUNTEER”

5. Mandated Reporter Training

PA Child Welfare Resource Center

• Register then follow the instructions for the course. 
• This is a 3-hour course. 
• Once completed print the certificate.

6. TB Screening

• Obtain a new TB test -OR-  Provide test results from within the previous 3 months of this application. 

For Volunteer Coaches – Completion of the following courses are required

• Fundamentals of Coaching 
• First Aid, Health & Safety
• Concussion in Sports
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest

** Certificates of course completion should be sent to the Athletic Director **

Act 15 of 2015 clarifies that volunteers need to obtain certifications if they are applying for or holding an unpaid position as a volunteer with a school; as a person responsible for a child’s welfare; or have “direct volunteer contact” with children, meaning they are responsible for the care, supervision, guidance or control of children AND have routine interaction with children. “Routine interaction” is defined as regular and repeated contact that is integral to a person’s volunteer responsibilities.

Act 15 of 2015 provides an exception to the certification requirements for a student who volunteers for an event on school grounds that is sponsored by the school in which the student is enrolled as long as the student is not responsible for a child’s welfare and the event is not for children who are in the care of a child-care service.  Students who do not meet this exception may need to obtain the certifications required by Act 15.

If you are new to the District as a volunteer, you will be required to obtain your clearances prior to any contact with students. These clearances must be dated within the year.  

Please note:  Volunteers are required to obtain new clearances every 5 years.  You are also required to notify the District in writing within 72 hours if you are arrested for or convicted of an offense that would constitute grounds for denying participation as a volunteer, or you are named as a perpetrator in a child abuse report.  Willful failure to do so has criminal implications and may jeopardize your ability to volunteer with the District.

Act 15 of 2015 imposes other requirements on volunteers in schools, and this letter does not intend to cover them all.  The Southern Tioga School District is working hard to ensure our volunteers meet all legal requirements of volunteering with us. We include for your reference a Frequently Asked Questions document developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services which explains many of these requirements.

If you need assistance, please contact Gina Van Gorden, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, Southern Tioga School District Administration Office, 310 Morris Street, Blossburg PA  16912, (570) 638-2183 ext. 306 or gvangorden@southerntioga.org