(Under Construction)  All DGWW Mentors must obtain the same security clearances that are required to work with students in the public schools in their states.  As DGWW expands into other states, the procedures for each state will be listed on this page with links to information on how that state’s clearance process works and how to get them.  For now, here’s how to get clearances for PA.

Pennsylvania Clearances

A great source of information about the background checks required to serve as a Mentor for DGWW can be found on THIS PAGE maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.  Here’s the most important section, for our purposes…

“As of April 1, 2007, Act 114 of 2006 has required that ALL prospective employees of public and private schools, including their independent contractors and their employees, but excluding employees who do not have direct contact with students, undergo background checks.  Applicants are required to submit their background check reports to their prospective public and private school employers.”
The three required background checks for ALL applicants and the processes to follow to collect them are described below, with the simplest and fastest at the top of the list.
  • State Police Criminal History Record
    •      It’s a rather weird process, but hey, it’s fast and free.
    •  Use the link above to get to the website for the online submission process
    •  Use the New Record Check – Volunteers Only button.
    •  Fill out the forms
    •  Go to where you can print the Invoice.
    •  Save it as a pdf file or print it.
    •  Put it someplace you can find it to submit it as you apply for your Mentor Badge when you have the other two clearances.
  • Department of Human Services Child Abuse Report
    •  To get this clearance, you begin by creating a “Keystone ID.”   To do that, use the link above to get to the right page, then click the “Create Individual Account” button.
    •  Follow the instructions to create a Keystone ID and then return to the site to login.
    •  We recommend that you use the “Individual Login” button on THIS PAGE.
    •  Use the “Access My Clearances” button on the following page, and then click “Continue” in the lower right hand corner.
    •  Read and accept the terms and conditions and then click “NEXT” in the lower right hand corner.
    •  When you get to the page titled, My PA Child Abuse History Clearances, click the “Create Clearance Application” button.
    •  On the page titled, “Application Purpose,” select the first option, “Volunteer Having Contact with Children.”
    •  (MISSING A STEP OR TWO HERE)
    •  After the processing period ends, you will receive an email sent by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania PASafeCheck system to notify you that the results of your criminal background check are ready for review. You will be allowed to access an “unofficial” copy of the results letter (which is fine for our purposes) by clicking a link provided in the email and then responding to the security questions you created during the application process.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  This link is available only for ONE time access only, and once you use it it will no longer be valid. For this reason, you should only access the link from a device that will allow you to download, print, or save your results.
    •  Keep both pages of your unofficial copy to submit with your Mentor Badge when the third clearance comes in.
  • Federal Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) – FBI Report
    •  OK… Sorry, but the websites on this one will drive you crazy, so we’re going to try to net it out for you.  Feel free to go to the link above and try to navigate the process, but I suspect you’ll find our notes below helpful on this one.
    •  Here are the important points from the website linked above:
    1)  Sorry, but this one won’t be free.  It will cost you $22.60 but you will receive an unofficial copy of your report.
    2)  Fix this… must register prior to going to the fingerprint site. Walk in service is allowed but all applicants are required to complete pre-enrollment in the new Universal Enrollment system. Pre-enrollment can be completed online or over the phone. The registration website is available online 24 hours/day, seven days per week at https://uenroll.identogo.com. Telephonic registration is available at 1-844-321-2101 Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm EST. During the pre-enrollment process, all demographic data for the applicant is collected (name, address, etc.) along with notices about identification requirements and other important information.

To work with DGWW in Pennsylvania, you will need to get these clearances and include them as attachments as you apply for the DGWW Mentor Badge.