​Other Entities

The electronic system contains only FBI Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) reports for applicants who were fingerprinted through PDE under Act 114 of 2006. Effective April 1, 2007, the Act requires that all employees and prospective employees of schools and their contractors as well as student teacher candidates obtain the federal background check report prior to employment in which they will have contact with children. Only Pennsylvania public and private schools and higher education institutions with an approved teacher preparation program will be authorized to access the reports in the secure online system.

DHS-licensed agencies, such as daycare facilities are not permitted to access the Department of Education’s online system for their employees. These agencies’ employees are required to obtain background check reports under the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL). This Act requires applicants to register and be fingerprinted under a system administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS) to obtain results for their employers.

In some cases, DHS-licensed agencies send employees into schools. These applicants may submit a DHS report to a school as an acceptable clearance so that an additional FBI clearance through PDE is not required. Although DHS contracts with IDEMIA to obtain the FBI fingerprint-based background check reports, PDE may not access reports in the DHS system, and DHS may not access the PDE online system. Please see the Q & A’s regarding PDE and DHS report issues on our website for more information on this topic.

It is important for applicants to register and be fingerprinted under the system where the applicant will be employed (DHS or PDE). In order to avoid confusion and the need to register and be fingerprinted a second time, applicants should check with their prospective employer prior to registering and being fingerprinted. Further questions on DHS requirements should be addressed to the DHS office, reachable by phone at 717-783-6211.

Entities such as Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth (AEDY) providers, tutoring agencies, and staffing agencies are considered independent contractors and are not permitted to access the official reports online. Applicants to these entities will provide their UEID to their prospective employer. The agency is then responsible to provide the applicant’s UEID and other reports to the school entity that is contracting for the services. The school entity associated with the services will review the official CHRI through the online database to make a determination as to the fitness of the applicant to work in a position in which they will have contact with children.

Head Start, Behavioral Health agencies, and other child care facilities, please review the Q & A’s on our website regarding PDE and DHS report issues for guidance and clarification on procedures.

Only higher education institutions with an approved teacher preparation program will be granted access to reports. Other post-secondary programs that do not train educators through a field experience/student teaching program are not provided access to the online system. Applicants within a higher education facility that fall under Act 114 are student teachers or others in educator preparation programs. All other applicants in a college or university that need to obtain fingerprinting (such as nursing students completing clinical rotations) must apply through the DHS system under the requirements of the CPSL.