MEMORANDUM TO: ALL ASD STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS FROM

MEMORANDUM TO: ALL ASD STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS FROM: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT DATE: December 19, 2014 As many of you are aware, the new Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) goes into effect as of December 31, 2014. The new law indirectly amends School Code requirements, including background check requirements for District employees and individuals who have direct contact with children, including contractors and volunteers. Highlights of the new law include the following: •
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All school employees, contractors and volunteers* having direct contact with children must obtain new clearances every 36 months. This includes child abuse, state, and federal criminal history checks. Current employees with clearances older than three years as of Dec. 31, 2014, must get provide new ones no later than Dec. 30, 2015. Current clearances that are less than three years old will expire at the three-‐year anniversary. •
Effective Dec. 31, 2014, new volunteers must have clearances in order to be approved for their positions. Existing volunteers who do not already have clearances must get them by July 1, 2015, and those with clearances that will be more than three years old on July 1, 2015, must get new ones before July 1, 2015. All clearances need to be submitted to ASD Human Resources. The district plans to create a database of volunteers and personnel whose backgrounds have been cleared. Teachers and staff will be able to contact Human Resources to confirm which volunteers are allowed into the classroom. Below is the list of required clearances and links to the issuing agencies:: • Child Abuse History -‐ Effective December 31, 2014, the application for this clearance is scheduled to be available at https://padhs.blob.core.windows.net/cwisselfservice-‐maintenance/index.html Paper submissions of the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance application will still be accepted. Submit paper applications to: ChildLine and Abuse Registry Pennsylvania Department of Human Services PO Box 8170 Harrisburg, PA 17105-‐8170 •
Pennsylvania Criminal Record Check -‐ Applicants can also visit the Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History (PATCH) website at: https://epatch.state.pa.us/Home.jsp Questions about the Pennsylvania State Police Request for Criminal Record Checks form (SP4 164) should be directed to (717) 783-‐9973 or toll free 1-‐888-‐
783-‐7972. •
Federal Criminal Background Check -‐ Applicants may register online at: www.pa.cogentid.com/index_pde.htm. The Pennsylvania Department of Education also utilizes Cogent Systems to process finger print based FBI criminal background checks for prospective employees of public and private schools. Under Act 114 of 2006, ALL prospective school employees, school contractors and student teachers must use the Pennsylvania Department of Education system. This includes but is not limited to: Teachers, School Administrators, Substitute Teachers, Teaching Assistants, PIAA Sports Officials, School Bus Drivers, and Student Teachers. * Similarly, those who want to volunteer in the schools, must get the Welfare and state police background checks, each of which costs about $10, but not the more expensive FBI background check, unless they have not lived in Pennsylvania for the last 10 consecutive years.

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