Background

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 & federal criminal history checks) every 60 months. 

Volunteer Requirements

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

Employee Requirements

• Current employees with clearances older than five years must get new ones no later than Dec. 31, 2015.
• Current employees with clearances that are less than three years old will need to get new clearances prior to the five-year anniversary of those clearances even if that means earlier than Dec. 31, 2015.  (Example: Employees who received clearances in January of 2012 will have expired clearances in January of 2015.  This also holds true as as employees clearance dates move forward - February of 2012, March of 2012, etc.)
• The district is notifying employees of their clearance expiration date, but being proactive will help make the process go smoothly.