Visit our What Clearances Do Volunteers Need page for details on what clearances potential volunteers need to submit.

As of July 25, 2015, the costs are:

• Pennsylvania State Police Clearance for volunteers - Free
• Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance for volunteers - Free
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report-PDE - $27

The length of time it takes to receive your clearances is contingent upon the method you use to apply for the clearances. Applying online will typically result in faster turnaround time. It is also important to note that all potential volunteers across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be applying for clearances as well. We encourage prospective volunteers to begin applying for their clearances as soon as possible.

Potential volunteers must present clearances/exception statement to a school or District representative. It is highly recommended that potential volunteers also bring an additional copy of their clearances as this will expedite the process. Upon verifying the clearances/exception statement, the school or District representative will return one set of copies back to the individual and retain a copy of each clearance/exception statement. Please complete the Volunteer Clearances Checklist and submit it with your materials.

All schools and Central Administration will accept clearances during regular school hours.

The school or District representative will document the clearance information in a shared database that can be accessed by all schools in the District. The database will include the names of approved volunteers as well as the expiration dates for each individual clearance. A copy of the clearances/exception forms will be maintained in the District for a period of five years at which point the clearances will be destroyed.

Yes. Another individual is permitted to submit clearances on your behalf.

The North Allegheny School District defines volunteers in one of three ways. Independent and Assistive Volunteers are required to obtain and submit clearances prior to serving in a volunteer capacity, while Classroom Presentation Volunteers are not required to have clearances. The school and District administration will communicate the types of volunteers needed for each activity.

No. Since there is only one NASD volunteer database that is shared among the buildings, you will only need to submit your clearances to one location.

Special ID cards will not be distributed to approved volunteers. The names of approved volunteers will be kept in a shared database accessible to all buildings throughout the District. Volunteers will receive a name badge to wear once they are signed in to the building office.

Yes, the volunteer database will send an automatic reminder to individuals when their clearances are 90 days from expiring.

The expiration date for all clearances will be noted in the volunteer database. The District will use the oldest clearance to determine an official expiration date.

Act 153/Act 15 stipulates that clearances are good for 60 months (five years) from the effective date. You can submit your current clearances as long as they are less than five years old.

Each building will identify specific employees who will have access to the approved volunteer database. If an event is planned that will require the use of volunteers, the organizer of the event will work with the secretary and/or principal to ensure that these volunteers have provided the appropriate clearances.

The District does not want the cost of the clearances to discourage someone from volunteering at a school. If you need support in covering these fees, please contact the NASD Office of K-12 Education at 412-369-5896. A date and time will be established where you can come to Central Administration and someone will work with you on applying and paying for the clearances.

On October 22, 2014, House Bill 435 was signed into law becoming Act 153 of 2014. On July 1, 2015, Governor Wolf signed into law House Bill 1276, now known as Act 15 of 2015, which waives volunteer certification fees for state background checks and changed the renewal deadline for clearances. These PA laws apply to employees and unpaid volunteers who are “responsible for the welfare of a child or having direct contact with children.” The Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) defines “direct contact with children” as “the care, supervision, guidance or control of children or routine interaction with children.” While many community-based programs (e.g., Girl and Boy Scouts, youth sports programs) and religiously-affiliated organizations have long required background checks for volunteers, this law provides a specific directive on the timing and type of background checks now required. Individuals at North Allegheny are not permitted to serve as an independent or assistive volunteer unless they have submitted the appropriate clearances.

Each of the links below shows you what a completed clearance should look like.

• FBI Clearance
• PA Criminal Clearance*
• PA Child Abuse Clearance

*If completing online, the Record Check Status Detail is NOT the actual clearance. Applicants must click on the words “Certification Form” in the middle of the screen in order to view and print the actual clearance certificate. The actual Criminal Record Check clearance should have the seal as a watermark on this form similar to the sample included here.

Yes, students who volunteer are not required to obtain clearances as long as they meet all of the following requirements:

• the individual is currently enrolled in school;
• the individual is not a person responsible for the child's welfare;
• the individual is volunteering for an event that occurs on school grounds;
• the event is sponsored by the school in which the individual is enrolled as a student; and
• the event is not for children who are in the care of a child care service.

For the two state clearances (PA Child Abuse History Clearance and PA State Police Clearance), Social Security Numbers are optional, therefore a Social Security Number is not needed to complete these clearances. For the FBI clearance, in lieu of a Social Security Number, a Passport Number may be used instead. If the Passport Number contains letters, they should be omitted and then zero's should be added to the Passport Number as necessary to reach the requirement of nine digits (ex. PAS123456 would be 123456000).