Division of Education, Human Development, and Social Sciences

Education

Clearances and Verifications

Clearances and Verifications

For students completing the degree at Penn State Altoona

CLEARANCES AND VERIFICATIONS POLICY
Effective spring 2006 semester for elementary and kindergarten education majors and childhood and early adolescent education majors at Penn State Altoona

Upon approval to the Education major, students are responsible for keeping valid copies of all clearances/verifications on file in 101A Cypress Building. All clearances/verifications must be renewed yearly and must remain valid throughout the entire academic year. Clearances/verifications should be requested during the month of May and MUST BE ON FILE BY JULY 30.

No student will be permitted to participate in any field experience without evidence of all required clearances and verifications on file by the first day of classes each fall semester.

Non-participation in field experiences dramatically impacts a student's course grade and will result in failure of the course(s). There will be no "make-ups" for absences from field experiences due to clearances. Any student enrolled for any course(s) with a field experience who does not have all annual required clearances/verifications ON FILE BY THE FIRST DAY OF FALL SEMESTER CLASSES will be advised to drop the course(s).

Copies of the following clearances/verifications must be ON FILE with the Program Administrative Assistant:

  • Valid Act 34 clearance
  • Valid Act 151 clearance
  • Valid TB Test
  • Evidence of Professional Liability Insurance
  • FBI Clearance

Obtaining required clearances and verifications

Act 34 — Criminal Record Check

This clearance can be obtained online or by mail.

Online
This can be obtained online with credit card at http://epatch.state.pa.us. Be sure to print the search results from your computer as nothing will be mailed to you via the online process.

By mail
The mailed form takes 6-8 weeks for return. Apply in May to have your copy on file by July 30th each year.

  • Download the form at http://www.psp.state.pa.us
  • Pay by certified check or money order only
  • Indicate "Employment" as reason for request

Valid Act 151 Clearance — Child Abuse History

Application for this clearance is not available online and must be obtained by mail. The request form can be downloaded at http://www.dpw.state.pa.us under General Information > Forms and Publications. Indicate "School" as "Purpose of Clearance."

The mailed form takes 6-8 weeks for return. Apply in May to have your copy on file by July 30th each year.

Valid TB Test

University policy requires yearly verification of a negative TB Test. Students who test positive must submit proof of x-ray examination.

Liability Insurance

This insurance is available through private insurance carriers. Proof of insurance may consist of a letter or policy statement. The policy must include a reference to "professional" liability coverage.

The insurance is available through professional organizations, such as PSEA. The PSEA application available online at http://www.psea.org with credit card. Cost for the insurance is $30 a year, concurrent with school year.

FBI Clearance

This clearance must be completed through Cogent Systems at http://www.pa.cogentid.com. General information is available at http://www.pde.state.pa.us by clicking on "Act 114 Requirements — Federal Fingerprinting."

If a student teacher candidate is continuously enrolled in an educator preparation program, the student teacher candidate would not be required to have a new FBI check each year. The student must present a copy of their original FBI fingerprinting results and be willing to sign a waiver that no criminal acts were reported.

Questions regarding clearances and verificatiosn can be directed to Kay Tate, 101A Cypress Building, 814-949-5595,

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