Clearances must be dropped off IN PERSON on TUESDAY or THURSDAY

Drop Off Hours: 8:00AM-3:00PM

Location: Southern Lehigh Adminstration Building, 5775 Main Street, Center Valley, PA.

• All required papwerwork must be completed (partial packets will not be accepted).  
• Clearances must be dated within 1 year of issue to be verified. 
• Volunteers must re-submit clearances every 60 months (5 years) in accordance with Pennsylvania law. This is a requirement of continuing service. The district does not send reminder notices. 
• Please keep your clearances in a safe place for future reference. These are your documents and the district cannot supply copies.
• If volunteering for an event or field trip, clearances must be received at least one week prior to the event in order to volunteer.
• Any volunteer arrested or convicted of an unlawful offense must report the matter to the SLSD Human Resources Office within 72 hours and complete an Arrest/Conviction Report Form.

1. Federal Criminal History Record (Fingerprint) for School Building Volunteers

Individuals who have resided in the state of Pennsylvania for 10 or more consecutive years may sign a Disclosure Statement in lieu of seeking FBI Criminal History Record fingerprints. If you have not been a PA resident for 10 or more years, you must be fingerprinted to volunteer.

• Fee as of 1/1/2019: $23.85 - Payment is made by credit or debit card. 
• Register online with IdentoGO before visiting the fingerprint center. Walk in service is available, but all applicants must pre-enroll online or over the phone.  
• When registering, use the specific agency Service Code 1KG6ZJ 
  • IMPORTANT: The correct Service Code must be used so the background check is processed for the correct purpose. Fingerprint reports processed for another agency or purpose are not transferable. If you enter the wrong code by mistake, select the “Back to Home” button and begin the process again by reentering the correct Service Code. If you proceed with an incorrect code you will need to go through the process and pay for the background check again.
• Report to a fingerprint center. Center locations can be found on the IdentoGO website.
• Record your UE ID registration number (a series of letters and numbers). 
• You will receive an email notification with a link. Print and save the results to a PDF for your records. CAUTION: This link will only work one time.
• Submit your results to Human Resources. Results are not automatically sent to the school district.

2. Pennsylvania State Criminal Record Check for School Building Volunteers 

• Fee: FREE to volunteers - PA residents apply online.
• Visit State Police Volunteer Clearance .
• Click the link, "New Volunteer Record Check (Volunteers Only)", check the acknowledgement box at the bottom and click "Accept".  You must name Southern Lehigh School District as the organization for which you will be volunteering. A telephone number is not necessary, but you may enter 610-282-3121.
• Print and save your results to a PDF for your records. CAUTION: This report will be viewable to you only one time. 
• Submit your results to Human Resources. Results are not automatically sent to the school district.

3. Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance for School Building Volunteers

• Fee: FREE to volunteers one time within a 5 year period - Applicants may apply online or by mail. 
• Login or Create an Individual Account to apply online using the PA Child Welfare Portal. If it is your first time visiting the site, you will be asked to create a Keystone ID username. Follow the instructions to create a password.  Be sure to store your Keystone ID and password in a safe place for future use.
• Use your current address, then check the box for the purpose of "clearance".
• You will receive an email notification with a link. Print and save the results to a PDF for your records.  
• Submit your results to Human Resources. Results are not automatically sent to the school district.

4. PA Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification (PDE-6004) Form and Notification Requirement:

Individuals seeking to volunteer in SLSD must also sign a Arrest/Conviction Report Form. Approved volunteers must report to the Superintendent or the Director of Human Resources within 72 hours of any arrest or conviction of a Reportable Offense listed in Section 111(e). Failure to make a timely report of any such arrest or conviction may result in rescinding of volunteer privileges.

All persons having direct contact with school children should be trained as mandated reporters and understand the procedure to report reasonable suspicion of child abuse. As a SLSD volunteer, the district is required to OFFER Mandated Reporter training. While not required, we ask that you complete this training. Please see the informational and resource links below.

Free Mandated & Permissive Child Abuse Reporter Training 

The  PA Child Welfare Resource Center offers free online training. This training takes approximately three (3) hours to complete. The training does not need to be comppleted in one sitting. The system is designed to allow you the option of competing the training over multiple periods of time. To register for this free training, click the link above and follow these directions:

1. Login or click the "Don't have an account" button. This will take you to a new user registration page.
2. Select “No” when asked if you are licensed or applying for a license through one of the following boards.
3. Submit your information. Once reviewed, the Pennsylvania Child Resource Center will send you an email with your Username and Password. 
4. Type in your username and password
5. Click “Login”
6. Click on the hyperlink under the “Your Courses Section”
         rrca-0299: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse
7. Click on the “Click Here” button
8. Follow the directions to complete the course
9. Print your certificate of completion
10. Provide a copy of the certificate to the school.

Thank you for volunteering your time and services to our district and for understanding the importance of complying with these regulations.  

PDE Volunteers FAQs