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Volunteering

The Hampton Township School District, in compliance with state Act 153 and School Board Policy No. 916, now requires volunteers to submit background check clearances to the District prior to volunteering in the District.

The Pennsylvania House passed Act 153 of 2014 into law on Oct. 22, 2014 and Act 15 of 2015 on July 1, 2015. The new laws are effective for the 2015-2016 School Year and apply to both District employees and volunteers who are either responsible for the welfare of a child or who have direct, unsupervised contact with children in the District. Under the new requirements, volunteers must obtain criminal background check clearances and child abuse clearances from the state and federal government.

Policy No. 916 outlines the requirements for obtaining clearances, which includes a definition of the difference between incidental visitors who may occasionally assist in the classroom under the direct supervision of school faculty, and volunteers in various ongoing activities who may have occasion to have legally-defined direct contact with children, or whose role might make them responsible for the welfare of a child. Volunteers who fit the latter description will be required to obtain clearances under the new state law. Policy No. 916 in its entirety is available here.

In recognition of the hardship that the new requirements may impose on volunteers – especially those working with schools and other non-profit entities – Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the $20 in fees for a child abuse clearance and state police clearance criminal background check would be waived for volunteers. Additionally, the state Department of Human Services and the Pennsylvania State Police will reduce the cost of both the child abuse and criminal history record checks from $10 to $8 for all other applicants.

How to Apply for Clearances

Volunteers who have been a resident of Pennsylvania for 10 consecutive years are not required to obtain a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report. Clearances required include:

  • Pennsylvania State Police Clearance – use this link to apply online or this link to download the free form for printing and mailing.
  • Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance – use this link to apply online or this link to download the form for printing and mailing.
  • FBI Background Check Waiver – this waiver must be signed and provided to the District in lieu of the FBI Background Check.  

*Applicants who opt to apply for these clearances online must choose the option labeled “Certification Form” that appears in the middle of the screen in order to view and print their clearance certificate. Failure to do so will result in the applicant not obtaining the correct documentation to present to the District.

Volunteers who have NOT been a resident of Pennsylvania for 10 consecutive years must apply for the following clearances:

  • Pennsylvania State Police Clearance – use this link to apply online or this link to download the free form for printing and mailing.
  • Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance – use this link to apply online or this link to download the form for printing and mailing.
  • FBI Background Check – use this link to begin the application process. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has partnered with IDEMIA to provide a secure capture transmission of applicant fingerprints at IndentoGO Centers, which are located throughout the state. Additional information for this process can be found here. To begin the fingerprinting registration process, please follow these steps:
    1. Enter the service code for Pennsylvania school district volunteers. The code is 1KG6ZJ, Before proceeding, ensure the top of the web page says "PDE Volunteer."
    2. Complete the online registration process. 
    3. Following online registration, report to an IdentoGO fingerprinting facility. Facilities and hours of operation can be found online here

Providing Clearances to the District

Volunteers who have obtained their clearances should present the original clearance documents to the building principal at the building in which they will be volunteering. School officials will make copies of the original clearances and then return the original copies to the volunteer. In order to ensure the timely processing of clearances, please call ahead to schedule an appointment.

Questions about the new policy or about how to obtain clearances may be directed to building principals:

  • Dr. Marguerite Imbarlina, Principal
    Hampton High School
    Ph: 412-492-6378
  • Dr. Marlynn Lux, Principal
    Hampton Middle School
    Ph: 412-492-6357
  • Dr. Amy Kern, Principal
    Central Elementary School
    Ph: 412-492-6320
  • Dr. Colleen Hannagan, Principal
    Poff Elementary School
    Ph: 412-492-6336
  • Dr. Laurie Tocci, Principal
    Wyland Elementary School
    Ph: 412-492-6346