Deer Lakes

School District

Volunteer Clearances

The Pennsylvania General Assembly amended the Child Protective Services Law (the CPSL) several times.  The most recent changes were through Act 153 to require all school employees, contractors and volunteers having direct contact with children to obtain new clearances (child abuse history clearance and state and federal criminal history checks) every 60 months. 

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

  • New volunteers must have clearances, dated within the past 60 months (5 years), to be approved for their position.  
  • What types of volunteers require clearances & which ones do not?  Click here for details.

VOLUNTEER FBI BACKGROUND CHECK
All school volunteers must now obtain a volunteer Service Code from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS). This change is in response to a bulletin issued by DHS that indicates all individuals governed by the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) must obtain clearances through DHS. This change includes all public, private, and nonpublic school volunteers. To obtain a volunteer Service Code, individuals must contact DHS directly at 1-877-371-5422 or [email protected]. 

What Steps Do I Need to Take?

Deer Lakes School District strongly supports the involvement of parent/guardian and community volunteers. State law now requires that any volunteer who has direct contact with students to have necessary clearances on file with the District.

  • Please note that clearances that have been obtained for other organizations (your local township, sports organizations, scouts, employment, etc.) will be accepted if they match the list below and are within the acceptable time limit. Copies must be obtained from these organizations and brought to the district in order to be on the list.  

In addition, the following form must be signed and submitted:

  • Acknowledgment of Volunteer Obligations - required for all those submitting clearances. Download a copy below.
  • Acquiring the clearance documents takes time and we recommend that parents planning on volunteering in the schools complete the process as soon as possible. The documents will remain on file with the District for FIVE years at which time new clearances will be necessary.

Acknowledgment of Volunteer Obligations

The state law also requires volunteers to notify the District within 72 hours if they are arrested or convicted of a Disqualifying Offense. To ensure that all volunteers are aware of this requirement, you will be required to sign and submit a copy of the Acknowledgment of Volunteer Obligations when you submit your clearances at the District offices.

What should I do with the paperwork once it arrives?

Only after you get all three clearances back (or two plus the signed waiver), take the originals to the school building in which you will volunteer during normal office hours along with a signed copy of the Acknowledgement of Volunteer Obligations . The administrative staff will review your clearances and will make a copy to keep in the District files. The originals will be returned to you. Thereafter, your name will be added to a central database of volunteers who have submitted clearances.

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