Clearances for Teacher Candidates

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires the following clearances for students enrolled in teacher preparation programs:

ACT 24 Arrest and Conviction Report (Self-Reporting)
ACT 33/151 Pennsylvania Child Abuse History
ACT 34 Pennsylvania Criminal History Record
ACT 114 FBI Fingerprint Background Check

Additionally, university policy requires:

ACT 31/126 Mandatory Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Training
Liability Insurance
Confidentiality/Liability Agreement
TB Test
Physical (PreK Certification Programs Only)

This applies to all course-related observation, field, and clinical experiences, as well as student teaching.

Teacher candidates will begin field experiences during the freshman year and continue throughout the program sequence of courses. Thus, teacher candidates must submit the required clearances at the beginning of the first semester enrolled in university courses.

Clearances must be dated within a few months of the teacher candidate’s start/readmit date at the University.

Submitted clearances are legal as long as the student is continuously enrolled in the university course, as stated in Act 114. However, the school district or university can request clearances be renewed.

Teacher candidates must renew all required clearances in the semester immediately prior to their student teaching semester.

ACT 24 Arrest and Conviction Report (Self-Reporting)

Act 24 of 2011 (Act 24) amends Section 111 of the School Code, which provides for background checks for employees and pre-service teachers of public and private schools, intermediate units, and area vocational-technical schools. The changes to Section 111 became effective in 2011.

Act 24 adds several new crimes to the list of offenses in Section 111(e), which disqualifies individuals from school employment. Because of the expanded list of prohibited criminal offenses, Act 24 requires all current and future employees and pre-service teachers to complete a Pennsylvania Department of Education ("PDE") form to report prior arrests or convictions for any offenses listed. PDE developed Form PDE-6004 for reporting purposes.

Act 24 also requires that you report any future arrests or convictions of any criminal offense listed in Section 111(e) to the Office of Clinical Experiences within 72 hours of the arrest or conviction using Form PDE-6004.

ACT 33/151 Pennsylvania Child Abuse History

The ACT 33/151 Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance can be applied for and processed online or an application can be printed out from the PA Child Welfare Portal website and mailed in for processing.

To process your application online, you will need to create an account and have a credit/debit card to pay the fee. Because there is minimal delay, this method is recommended.

You will be required to “Create Individual Account” on the Child Welfare Portal and create a “Keystone ID.”
After creating your account and logging in, you will create your clearance application. Please select “Individual 14 years of age or older who is applying for or holding a paid position as an employee with a program, activity or service,...”.
Results will be returned to you using your online account (and a copy via mail).

ACT 34 Pennsylvania Criminal History Record

You can apply for and access your ACT 34 Pennsylvania Criminal History Clearance online through the Pennsylvania State Police PATCH system page.

Click on the PSP PATCH webpage.
Select “Submit a New Record Check.” Read the terms and conditions, and select “Individual Request” when prompted for Requestor Details.
On the Requestor Information page beside Reason For Request, click on the down arrow. Then click “Other.”
From this point, you will need to move through the remaining pages as directed to pay for and receive your clearance printout. A debit or credit card is required for payment for each clearance request.
You will receive the clearance on the screen to print out after the application has been completed online unless there is a need for extensive research by the PSP.

ACT 114 FBI Fingerprint Background Check

Education students MUST register through the IdentoGO site. Use Service Code: 1KG6RT.

Please save the receipt you receive on the day you have your fingerprints scanned. The receipt will include your UEID which can be used by school district administrators to verify your results.
Please note, PDE only sends Unofficial Results via email. The results email is sent from PASafeCheck and this email often gets flagged as junk/spam.
The link in the results email only works once and is only good for 30 days. Be sure to have access to a printer and/or a device where you can save the results report before opening the confirmation email.
If you do not receive the results via email or can no longer access the results, you will need to contact PDE to request a hard copy be mailed to you. Their contact information is ra-edfbi2@pa.gov or 717-783-3750.

ACT 31/126 Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse Training

The Pennsylvania state legislature passed ACT 126 and ACT 31 which requires professionals working with school-age children to be trained in the recognition and reporting mandates for child abuse. Your placement site will expect you to have completed this training.

This requirement can be met by completing a free online course approved for human services and education majors. The program is through the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work, Child Welfare Resources Center. After completing the course, print the CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION, and submit it with the other required clearances.
You can review the PA Department of Education website for other approved providers if you wish. Most charge a fee.

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance is required prior to the beginning of any classroom field experience. This coverage can be obtained through personal insurance or by purchasing insurance through one of the links below. The liability requirement coverage is $1,000,000. Suggested sites:

Student PSEA – Annual Membership includes liability insurance
ACEI – Membership does not include a liability plan, but it can be purchased separately
NAEYC – Membership does not include a liability plan, but it can be purchased separately

Confidentiality/Liability Agreement

All teacher candidates must review and complete the Confidentiality/Liability Agreement before beginning any Field Experience.

TB Test

A TB test is required. Obtain documentation from your doctor, health care provider, or campus health center showing the date the test was administered, the date the test was read, and the results.

Physical (PreK Certification Programs Only)

For all candidates, undergraduate and graduate, in the PreK-4 certification programs, a physical is required and your doctor or health care provider must complete the Child Care Staff Health Assessment during the first semester you are enrolled in the PreK-4 certification program.

An updated physical is NOT required for student teaching unless the student teaching placement is in a PreK setting.

If you are NOT in a PreK-4 certification program, a physical is NOT required.

Submission of Clearance Results

Once a teacher candidate has obtained their clearances, all documents must be uploaded to Anthology Portfolio via the D2L community shell Anthology Portfolio Resources. The documents will then be reviewed by the Office of Clinical Experiences

June 1st is the latest recommended date students who will be student teaching during the fall semester should apply for new clearances. Prior to the start of the Fall student teaching semester, the deadline for submitting new clearances to the Office of Clinical Experiences is August 1.

November 1st is the latest recommended date students who will be student teaching during the spring semester should apply for new clearances. Prior to the start of the Spring student teaching semester, the deadline for submitting clearances is December 1.

Clearance originals are yours! Keep original clearances in a safe place! Many school districts will want to see the originals in order to accept copies and teacher candidates must take both their original clearances and copies of their original clearances to their assigned placement.

Clearances with Infractions

Teacher Education candidates with any type of record, on any clearance, will require a meeting with the Office of Clinical Experiences. See your Department Chair for more information. PennWest does not automatically deny Admission to Teacher Education because of any citation, but candidates need to be aware of future issues with the Department of Education and future employers. All Teacher Education candidates must be aware that the Pennsylvania Department of Education has the final decision on whether infractions on your record will impede the issuance of your certification.