Required Clearances and Health Tests

PA law requires that a series of clearances be completed for people who come into direct contact with children in schools. Most states have similar regulations. Dickinson is required by PA law to meet the requirements imposed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in their effort to protect the well being of children. All students are required to complete the following clearances for EDUC 121 Social Foundations:

1. FBI: required fingerprinting done by Cogent in Pennsylvania. Cogent's cost is $40 (paid by the student) (credit card or money order required).

Each semester, the Education Department provides a one-day opportunity for students to be fingerprinted on campus. If students have scheduling conflicts on that day, they may go to the UPS store in Carlisle which has been contracted to provide this service for Cogent as well.

2. Child Abuse: a clearance completed by PA law enforcement officials. Cost $10 (Student accounts bills the student's account upon registering for EDUC 121 Social Foundations).

3. Criminal Background: a clearance completed by PA law enforcement officials. Cost $10 (Student accounts bills the student's account upon registering for EDUC 121 Social Foundations).

4. PPD tine test: done by the Dickinson College Health Center. Cost $10 (paid by the student to the Health Center ) Note: students can provide verification of the test done by another physician on the form provided by the college. Click here for the Staff Health Assessment Form for the PPD tine test.

Students who have registered for EDUC 121 Social Foundations of Education will receive the required forms and an explanation of all procedures during the first week of classes. The total cost for clearances and health tests for EDUC 121 is $70. The clearances will be accepted for all field experiences while enrolled at Dickinson. Results of completed clearances are required in order to receive a passing grade for Social Foundations of Education. Assuming no change in the State or School District policies, once clearances have been completed, they will not need to be done again for any course or student teaching while you are enrolled at Dickinson .

Students who transfer to Dickinson and receive credit for the transfer of Social Foundations will be required to complete all clearances listed above.

Students are required to provide their own transportation to field experiences. Social Foundations placements are normally in Carlisle (within 1.5 miles of campus). Most students walk to those locations. Field experiences in all other courses are in Carlisle and regional schools. They are within easy driving distance of the college.

Instructions to Check on Status of Criminal and Child clearances directly with the Agencies

PA Child Abuse History Clearance Status:

If you have not received your final results after 4-6 weeks of submission of your application, please call the Childline and Abuse Registry, Department of Public Welfare, in Harrisburg, PA at 717 783-6211 between 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 PM Monday thru Friday.

If it turns out that the agency mailed the FINAL PROCESSED RESULTS to the student but the student never received them due to getting lost in the mail, it is possible to get a DUPLICATE sent to him/her. THERE WILL BE NO REPLACEMENTS AFTER 90 DAYS!

To do so, the student must fill out another Child Abuse form (no additional fee charged 2^nd time), mail to agency and mark "Duplicate" on the application and the "outside" of the envelope so agency knows not to charge you again. For faster service, please mail using "overnight service".

Criminal Background Status:

Approximately 4-6 weeks after submission of your application, Dickinson College Education Department will receive the original results of your clearance DIRECTLY from the Pennsylvania State Police since the Education Department is listed as the requester on the application form that you are given to complete. When the processed results arrive in our department, a copy will be placed on file for you and the ORIGINAL will be returned to you through campus mail.

However, if for some reason, the Education Department does not receive your results, you are responsible for following up with the agency on your application status. To do so, call 717 783-9144 or 717 783-9973 (hrs: 8:15 to 4:15) to check processing status.

FBI Fingerprinting Results Status:

What happens if I do not receive my official Federal Criminal History Record?

After your fingerprints have been submitted, do not contact the fingerprint site. Do not contact Cogent Systems. Cogent Systems does not have the means to give the applicant the status of their background check nor are they involved in the summary execution of your background check. If the applicant does not receive the Criminal History Record from PDE within eight weeks after being fingerprinted, they should call (717) 783-3750 or email PDE at dwolfgang@state.pa.us .

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