Volunteering in Our Schools

Any visitors, volunteers and contracted service providers MUST sign-in and show a picture ID before entering any of our school district buildings.

What Do I Need?

1. Visitors - No Act 24 required

A visitor is defined as a person who has no direct involvement with or access to students and is always escorted by a Palisades School District employee. Examples of visitors: parents coming in for an IEP meeting, guest speakers or attendees for an assembly in a multi-purpose room or auditorium.

The Palisades School District has established protocols which facilitate visits from family and community members during regular school days. Protocol regulations include:

Visits during school hours should first be arranged with the teacher and principal or designee. If a conference is desired, an appointment should be set with the teacher during non-instructional time.
All visitors must identify themselves to the school greeter, principal or designee upon entering the school grounds.
All visitors sign in at the office during regular school days. If the school secretary/greeter agrees that the visitor has entered the building for legitimate reasons, they should be registered (signed in) immediately for a visitor badge (ID) and escorted to their destination. The visitor must comply with all school rules while in school and on school property.
Visitors to the building must be escorted to their destination and may not have free-access throughout the building.
Under no circumstances are visitors to approach or interact with any child, other than their own, to discuss anything other than a greeting.
An individual failing to comply with any of these procedures and/or causing a disruption of the educational process may be barred or removed from the school at the principal's discretion. The individual also may be charged with criminal trespassing.
Prior to leaving the school site, they must sign out and return the Visitor Badge (ID).

2. Volunteering at Special Events

Events such as, but not limited to, Assembly Programs, Field Days, Spelling Bees, Concerts, Science Fairs, MAY be handled differently, and are at the discretion of the administrator of the building. Visitor badges may not be required; however, visitors must restrict their visit to areas specifically designated for the event and will not be left alone with students.

3. Casual Volunteer - Requires Act 24 Arrest and Conviction Form Only

A casual volunteer is defined as a person who interacts with students while an administrator/teacher/staff member or employee is present (such as assisting with in-classroom activities, etc.) These individuals DO NOT have Direct Contact with students. Direct Contact is defined by Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) as the care, supervision, guidance OR control of children OR routine interaction with children. Routine interaction is regular and repeated contact that is integral to a person's employment or volunteer responsibility.

The Palisades School District has established protocols which outline the procedures pertaining to casual volunteers during regular school days. Protocol regulations include:

1. Read, complete, sign and return the ACT 24 (ARREST AND CONVICTION FORM) to Susan Keogh in the District Office: Palisades School District, 39 Thomas Free Drive, Kintnersville, PA 18930
2. Volunteering during school hours should be first arranged with the team, teacher and principal or designee.
3. All volunteers must identify themselves to the school greeter, principal or designee upon entering the school grounds.
4. All volunteers must sign in at the office, during regular school days. If the school secretary/greeter agrees that the volunteer has entered the building for legitimate reasons, they should be registered (signed in) immediately for a visitor badge (ID) and directed/escorted to their destination.
5. The volunteer must comply with all school rules while in school and on school property.
6. Volunteers may not have free-reign through the building.
7. Any volunteer failing to comply with any of these procedures and/or causing a disruption of the educational process may be barred or removed from the school at the principal's discretion. The individual also may be charged with criminal trespassing.
8. Prior to the volunteer leaving the school site, they must sign out and return the Visitor Badge (ID).
9. Act 24 Clearance must be submitted one time except in the following case: School employees and volunteers will be required to report to the School Administrator (Superintendent) within seventy-two (72) hours any arrest or conviction of an offense listed in Section 11 (e) that occurs after Sept. 18, 2011. (Under Act 24 of 2011 and Act 82 of 2012)
10. For volunteers, clearances cannot be accepted if they are over one year old.
11. Volunteering is at the discretion of the administrator of the building.

4. Volunteers and Volunteer Coaches - Requires Act 24, Act 34, Act 151 and Act 114 or Waiver (see Board Policy 916)
A volunteer is defined a person who is responsible for the welfare of a child OR who has Direct Contact with children. Direct Contact is defined by Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) as the care, supervision, guidance OR control of children OR routine interaction with children. (Routine interaction is regular and repeated contact that is integral to a person's employment or volunteer responsibility.) Examples of a volunteer are: a person who may/will interact with students without a staff member being present, i.e., head room parent, attending a field trip, working school store, etc.

Volunteers and Volunteer Coaches are required to obtain the following:

Act 24

Arrest & Conviction Form

Act 34

Pennsylvania Criminal Background Check

Act 151

Child Abuse Clearance

Act 114

FBI Clearance or Waiver

Act 24 Clearance must be submitted one time except in the following case: "School employees will be required to report to the School Administrator (Superintendent) within seventy-two (72) hours any arrest or conviction of an offense listed in Section 11 (e) that occurs after Sept. 18, 2011." Under Act 24 of 2011 and Act 82 of 2012)

** Volunteer Clearances must be dated within a year from the date of submitting them in order to be accepted.

If you are an existing volunteer at Palisades School District and your clearances are on file, then clearances are due 60 months from the date of those clearances on file.

If you are a new volunteer and have no clearances on file, or your clearances have expired, clearances are due by your first day volunteering or by the last day of the first marking period, whichever comes first.

** Volunteer Clearances must be dated within a year from the date of submitting them in order to be accepted.

If you are an existing volunteer at Palisades School District and your clearances are on file, then clearances are due 60 months from the date of those clearances on file.

If you are a new volunteer and have no clearances on file, or your clearances have expired, clearances are due by your first day volunteering or by the last day of the first marking period, whichever comes first.

** Volunteer Clearances must be dated within a year from the date of submitting them in order to be accepted.

If you are an existing volunteer at Palisades School District and your clearances are on file, then clearances are due 60 months from the date of those clearances on file.

ACT 153 REQUIRES SCHOOL EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS WITH DIRECT CONTACT WITH CHILDREN TO PROVIDE OR RENEW ALL THREE BACKGROUND CLEARANCES (PA CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK, FBI CLEARANCE, AND CHILD ABUSE CLEARANCE) EVERY 60 MONTHS (5 YEARS)

On October 22, 2014, Governor Corbett signed House Bill 435, now called Act 153 of 2014. This Act became effective on December 31, 2014 and requires school employees and volunteers to disclose arrests or convictions (or face a criminal penalty) that would affect their ability to work with children. Revisions were made to the law effective July 25, 2015.

Tuberculosis Test
The Pennsylvania Public School Code, Section 1418(b) requires a TB Test is for anyone in direct contact with students 10 or more hours in a given week; this includes volunteers. Click here for TB Form - results must be submitted along with other clearances to be approved for volunteering in our schools.

The Palisades School District has established protocols which outline the procedures pertaining to volunteers. Protocol regulations include:

1. Submitting an Act 24 Arrest & Conviction Clearance Form (SB Policy #916) --Please complete and submit in PDF format to the Palisades School District.

2. Obtaining an Act 34 PA Criminal Background Check Clearance (SB Policy #916) -- Apply online here. Please complete the process online and submit your receipt of completion or results in PDF format to Palisades School District.

3. Obtaining an Act 151 Child Abuse Clearance (SB Policy #916) -- Create an account and submit your application online here. Please complete the process online and submit your receipt of completion or results in PDF format to Palisades School District.

4. Obtaining an Act 114 FBI Clearance or Waiver

A) To register for fingerprinting:

Start the process online at: https://uenroll.identogo.com/workflows/1KG6XN
Please Use Service Code: 1KG6XN
For more information and to locate a new fingerprinting site, please visit: https://www.identogo.com/locations/pennsylvania.
Please note that we do not automatically receive your results of your FBI fingerprinting. Your unofficial results will be mailed to you from IdentGo. It is your responsibility to provide a copy of these results to your school office.
Submit your receipt of completion or results in PDF format to Palisades School District.

B) TO FILE A WAIVER FOR FINGERPRINTING:
A waiver may be filed for those volunteers who have lived in the state of Pennsylvania for 10 or MORE years up to/including today's date. PLEASE NOTE: The VOLUNTEER WAIVER is for district use ONLY.

1. Fill out the Volunteer Affidavit attesting to the fact that you have lived in Pennsylvania for 10 or more years.
2. Have the waiver notarized; this service is available for free at our District Office. Call 610-847-5131 to schedule an appointment.
3. Submit the completed waiver to Susan Keogh at [email protected]

5. Contracted Services - Requires Act 24, Act 34, Act 114 and Act 151 (also see Board Policy 818)

A contracted service is defined as a person who may / will interact with students in the performance of his / her contracted service without a staff member being present, i.e., copy machine repair-person, school photographer, therapists, etc. All of the protocols pertaining to a "Volunteer" apply to a person performing a contracted service during school hours.

6. Dual Enrollment Professors - Requires Act 24, Act 34, Act 151, and Act 114
Due to Dual Enrollment Professors working in a classroom in the same capacity as a Palisades School District Teacher, the Dual Enrollment Professor must submit all four clearances BEFORE working in the classroom at the Palisades School District.

Frequently Asked Questions about Clearances:

Volunteers need to submit their clearances with payment to DPW (for Act 151) and The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (for Act 34) - NOT to Palisades School District.
Can you use another state's clearances: NO
Can I use a PA Criminal Background Check and PA Child Abuse Clearance I had done for other volunteering? Yes, if the date on the form is within a year of when you will be volunteering at the Palisades School District
Any reportable offense must be reported to the Superintendent of the School District. The offense may change the person's status to volunteer and may require clearances to be reissued.
If a volunteer is also a Palisades School District employee and the employee has a break in employment (example: furlough, resignation, retirement, etc.) with the District new clearances must be submitted prior to volunteering at the District after the change in employment status.
Volunteering is at the discretion of the administrator of the building.