Volunteer

 

A parent helps elementary students with a language arts project

 

School volunteers are valuable members of Team Colonial. Through donating your time and talents, you can help the Colonial School District continue to provide the tools, knowledge and resources for our students to succeed in and out of the classroom.

As a result of Pennsylvania laws, all volunteers must complete and submit a Volunteer Application by clicking here to the school where they would like to volunteer and obtain the following three clearances:

*Please note that if you've been a Pennsylvania resident for ten consecutive years prior to the date of your volunteer application, you may sign a waiver in lieu of obtaining the FBI Background Check. This waiver is included as part of the application packet. If you require an FBI Background Check, please use code 1KG6XN and choose "Digital Fingerprinting" as the service when registering on the IdentoGO website.

Frequently Asked Questions

I already have clearances from my work with another organization. May I submit these to my child's school in order to volunteer?

Yes, provided the clearances are all under five years old. Please submit the originals for copying along with the district volunteer application.

I don't remember how old my clearances are. How can I find out?

If you have kept the originals, refer to the date on the clearance forms to see when you obtained them. If you cannot locate your originals, it is best to have the clearances done again.

If I am visiting a school, do I need to get my clearances done?

No. If you are visiting a school for a specific purpose, such as a parent-teacher conference, or you are coming in to provide a one-time service (reading to a class, making a presentation to a class), you do not need to have your clearances on file. If you visit on more than one occasion during a school year, clearances will be required.

How much do the clearances cost?

Beginning July 25, 2015, there will be no cost for the Child Abuse History Clearance and Criminal History Clearance for a volunteer. The FBI Federal Criminal History record (if required) costs $22.60. The Colonial School District does not reimburse for these costs.

My criminal history clearance and child abuse clearance reports are both under five years old. Do I still need to obtain the FBI criminal history record report?

Yes, effective July 1, 2015, all volunteers who have not lived in Pennsylvania continuously for the past ten years must have the FBI Criminal History Record report on file with the district. Once you obtain this report, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at your building and ask them to submit the information for approval.

I am not familiar with the FBI criminal history record report. How do I obtain this?

The FBI Criminal History Record report is a fingerprint-based record check. An applicant must register to obtain the check online at https://uenroll.identogo.com. An applicant must follow all instructions on the indentoGo website. Applicants must enter the code 1KG6Y3 into the "enter code" block. Fingerprinting sites in this area can be found through the indentoGO website.

If we already have clearances on file with the District, do we still need to have our licenses scanned?

Currently volunteers are required to have licenses scanned by the LobbyGuard system upon entering a school. However, you WILL NOT need to have your license scanned to volunteer once your clearances are on file and you are an approved volunteer. We initiated this requirement as a way to double-check the backgrounds of volunteers whose clearances may have been obtained more than a year ago. The recent changes to the state law ensure that we will have recent clearances on file for all volunteers, and the additional step of requiring a license scan on top of three clearances could prove to be prohibitive to those who want to volunteer. License scanning will continue at district schools as a way to track visitors in and out of the building.

Why do we have to get new clearances every five years?

In December 2014, the state made amendments to Act 153 (Child Protective Services Law). The law was amended to require all school employees, contractors AND volunteers having direct contact with children to obtain new clearances every 60 months.

Thank you for your interest in serving as a volunteer!

If you have any additional questions about the volunteer application process, please contact District Security Officer Tim McDonald via email by clicking here or by calling 610-834-1670, ext. 8203.

Volunteer Application and Clearance Links

Click on the name to access the corresponding document or link.

When you're ready, please submit the Volunteer Application and required clearances to the school where you would like to volunteer.

*Please note that if you've been a Pennsylvania resident for ten consecutive years prior to the date of your volunteer application, you may sign a waiver in lieu of obtaining the FBI Background Check. This waiver is included as part of the application packet. If you require an FBI Background Check, please use code 1KG6XN and choose "Digital Fingerprinting" as the service when registering on the IdentoGO website.

Thanks for being a valuable part of Team Colonial!