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Lower Merion School District

Off-Canvas

Obtaining Clearances

The process for obtaining background clearance documents may be initiated online. The following instructions, together with the embedded links, will assist you in beginning the process of obtaining your clearances. Once you have obtained your clearances, you must fill out the Volunteer Application and upload your clearance documents into the Raptor® Volunteer Management System.

Four documents are required:

  1. Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification
  2. Pennsylvania Criminal History Background Check
  3. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background Check OR  FBI Disclosure Statement/Affirmation 

OR

  • If you have NOT lived in Pennsylvania for at least the last 10 consecutive years, click here.    Where required, enter the PDE Service Code: 1KG6Y3

4. In addition to the three clearances, you must also fill out the Policy Acknowledgment Form. To access that form, click here. 

Once you have obtained all of your clearances and signed the Policy Acknowledgment Form, you must complete the online Volunteer Application and upload those forms in the   Raptor® Volunteer Management System. You will be notified once your application has been approved.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Office of School and Community Relations at 610-645-1977.

Additional Clearance Information

  1. Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification
    The Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance can be completed online for the quickest results. Once you click the link you will be directed to the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Portal where you must create an account or log in if you already have an account. (Note: you will need an email address to create an account.)  Click here  to submit the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance application. There is no fee for this clearance.
  2. Pennsylvania Criminal History Background Check
    The Pennsylvania Criminal Record Check can be done either online or by mail. The online results are available right away. If you choose to mail the form, it could take up to 8 weeks for the results to be returned to you. To complete the process online, click here and then  click on "New Record Check (Volunteers Only)" and follow the instructions. In the "Volunteer Organization Name" box, put   Lower Merion School District. In the Volunteer Organization Telephone Number box, put 610-645-1800. At the end of the process, you will need to print two copies of the certification form. You must click on "certification form" in order to pull up the correct form to print. Please keep a copy of your Criminal Record Check for your personal records. There is no fee for this clearance.
  3. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background Check OR Lower Merion School District Volunteer Affirmation
  • Disclosure Statement:  The FBI Criminal Background Check is not required if a Tier I Volunteer has been a resident of Pennsylvania for the entirety of the previous ten-year period and swears or affirms by properly executing a Lower Merion School District Volunteer Affirmation that he or she is not disqualified from service and has not been convicted of a prohibited offense listed in existing law or a similar offense in another jurisdiction. Please click here to view  the Disclosure Statement.
  • FBI Check: The Pennsylvania Department of Education utilizes IdentoGo    to process fingerprint-based FBI criminal background checks. The fingerprint based background check is a two-step process including online registration and fingerprinting taken digitally at a registered site. For more information and to begin the registration process, click here.   Please be sure to choose the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) when registering. Where required, enter the  PDE Service Code: 1KG6Y3. There is a $22.60 fee for this clearance which includes an automatic mailed unofficial copy of the results to the applicant.

-Once you have registered, proceed to an approved fingerprinting site to be digitally fingerprinted. A list of approved locations is available on the  IdentoGo website.

4.     Volunteer Policy Acknowledgment Statement 

 Click  here to fill out,    print the completed form and  save as  an electronic copy   to  upload with your three clearance   documents.

Note: Once clearances are submitted to the District, LMSD will not provide copies of clearances.