Volunteer Resources
Gateway School District Volunteer Policy
The Gateway School District Board of Directors updated Policy 196: Volunteers on August 19, 2024. The purpose of this policy was to recognize that community volunteers can make valuable contributions to the district's educational, athletic, and extracurricular programs, to define the types of volunteers, and to endorse the use of community volunteers subject to legal requirements as set forth in PA Act 153 (2014).
Definitions & Guidelines
- Works directly under the supervision and direction of a district teacher, administrator, or designee
- Does not provide direct services to students
- Does not have unsupervised contact with students
- Works under the general direction and supervision of a teacher or administrator employed by the District
- Provides direct services to students
- May, from time to time, be reasonably expected to have unsupervised contact with students
- Act 34 Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Record
- Act 151 Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
- Act 24/82 Arrest/Conviction Report & Certification Form
- EITHER an Act 114 Federal Crime History Record, OR a signed & witnessed Volunteer Clearance Exception from for volunteers who have lived in Pennsylvania for the past 10 consecutive years
If you aren’t sure which type of volunteer you need to be, use the Restroom Guide:
If, in the course of volunteering, it is reasonable to expect that you may be asked to escort students to the Restroom without the presence of a Gateway School District Employee, you would need to be a board-approved Independent Volunteer.
If, in the course of volunteering, it is not reasonable to expect that you may be asked to escort students to the Restroom without the presence of a Gateway School District Employee, you can be an Assistive Volunteer.
- Works under the general direction and supervision of a coach or student activity sponsor employed by the District
- Directly supervises or instructs students engaged in the activity
- May, from time to time, be reasonably expected to have unsupervised contact with students
- Act 34 Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Record
- Act 151 Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
- Act 24/82 Arrest/Conviction Report & Certification Form
- EITHER an Act 114 Federal Crime History Record, OR a signed & witnessed Volunteer Clearance Exception form for volunteers who have lived in Pennsylvania for the past 10 consecutive years
- TB Test (dated within three (3) months prior to application)
Volunteer Forms
Volunteer Clearance Links
Independent Volunteers and Volunteer Coaches or Club Sponsors must submit the following clearances with their application:
Act 34 Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Record
Fee: Volunteer applicants are permitted to receive one certification free of charge every fifty-seven (57) months.
To apply for your Act 34 Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Record:
- Visit the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) site HERE
- Select New Volunteer Record Check
- Accept the Terms and Conditions for use of PATCH
- In the Personal Information Screen,
- Enter Gateway School District as the Volunteer Organization Name
- Provide your Personal Information in the required fields
- Select Next, and confirm the information you provided.
Patch will send you an email notification when your record check is complete, and will provide information on how to download and print your certificate.
Act 114 Federal Crime History Record
Fee: $22.95
If you have lived in Pennsylvania for the past 10 consecutive years, you can instead complete the PA Volunteer FBI Exception form included in the Volunteer Application
To apply for your Act 114 Federal Crime History Record:
- Visit the IdentoGo website HERE to register for your fingerprinting session
- Enter Service Code 1KG6ZJ (DHS Volunteer)
- Select Schedule or Manage Appointment
- During the registration process, demographic data for the application is collected (names, address, etc.), and the applicant will receive notices regarding identification requirements and other important information.
- You will select a fingerprinting location of your choice, and pay the $22.95 fee at your appointment. The fee is payable with major credit cards, and money orders or cashier's checks payable to MorphoTrust. Cash transactions or personal checks are not allowed.
- You will receive notification of when your record check is complete, and will receive instructions for how to download or print your certificate.
Act 151 Child Abuse History Clearance
Fee: Volunteer applicants are permitted to receive one certification free of charge every fifty-seven (57) months
To apply for your Act 151 Child Abuse History Clearance:
- Go to the Child Welfare Information Solution (CWIS) self-service portal HERE
- If you have not applied for this clearance before, you will need to create an Individual Account. Otherwise, you can use the Individual Log In.
- Once your account is created, select Access My Clearances.
- Click Create Clearance Application to start your application
- On the Application Purpose page, select Volunteer Having Contact with Children
- In the Volunteer Category dropdown, select Other, and enter Gateway School District as the Agency Name. Then select Next.
- You will be prompted to provide information about yourself, your current address, previous addresses, and household members before confirming and signing your application.
CWIS will notify you once your clearance has been processed, and provide information on how to download and print your certificate.
Per PA Public School Code Section 1418(b), volunteers who provide direct services to students on behalf of a school must provide a TB test. The PA Department of Health defines "direct services" as those persons in direct contact with students 10 or more hours in a week. The law does not contain a provision to allow modifications for school staff or volunteers, and the test must be provided prior to working for the school.
Volunteer Coaches are most likely to meet this 10-hour threshold, and so are required to provide a TB test no more than three months old.
Submitting Volunteer Clearances
Clearances should be submitted with the completed Independent Volunteer or Volunteer Coach/Club Sponsor application, and can be submitted to the Front Office of any Gateway School during their hours of operation. Completed applications and clearances can also be submitted directly to the Gateway School District Human Resource Office Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, at the Central Administration Building, or via email to rsalerno@gatewayk12.org.