Clearances
Processing Clearances for Teacher Certification Students
- Students will provide clearances that are within one year (and completed after matriculation to Messiah University) to be eligible for their first (sophomore) field experience, and should not need to process clearances again as long as they do not have a break in enrollment at Messiah University and are within five years.
- If a student is placed in a district that requires more recent clearances and TB testing, the student will need to process clearances again to comply with the requirements of the district.
- Clearances for admission to the Teacher Education Program are required to be within a year. Students who are delayed in applying will likely need to process clearances again.
- For subsequent field experiences, students will complete the Act 24 form annually.
- The TB testing that is provided at the beginning of the semester for the first (sophomore) field experience will be evidence of meeting the TB screening requirement. For subsequent field experiences, students will sign a form that attests that they have not been exposed to an active case of TB or had a cough that is unresponsive to medical treatment after 14 days.
Clearances that are submitted to TEP for sophomore field experience and/or approval to the Program must be scanned and emailed. You should save a copy of the scan on your computer to avoid loss of these records. TEP will not accept hard copies of your forms.
You are responsible for managing your own clearances and taking a hard copy of clearances and your TB report, along with an ID, such as a driver's license, with you each time you report to a new field experience site.
ALL APPLICANTS MUST SECURE:
- Request for Criminal Background Check
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
- FBI Background Checks
Follow the step by step directions below carefully to ensure that you have processed your clearances correctly.
- Have a credit card ready, and click the link above for this clearance. NOTE: Pay special attention to the browsers supported on this link before processing.
- Choose Submit a New Record Check: Reason for Request - Employment (we cannot accept volunteer clearances)
- Complete the information requested and click Next
- Verify, then click Proceed.
- Enter your personal information again and click Enter the Request, then Finished.
- Submit and enter your credit card information, then Next
- Click on the hyperlink for the control number.
- Click on Certification Form. You will only be permitted to access and print this one time. Make sure the results are not still pending.
- Save the certification form to your computer and email a copy to bjohnson@messiah.edu.
- If processing is delayed, call the number on the clearance website.
- Click the link above to create your account. Once you have created the account, you will receive an email with your username and a second email with your password. Note: If you receive an error when creating an account, please try a different browser (their Technical Support recommended Chrome).
- Copy your password from the email and select the link for : Child Welfare Portal. Choose Login. Access my clearances.
- Enter your username and password. You will change your password in the next screen. Login with the new password. Accept the terms at the bottom of the next two screens and Create Clearance Application.
- Application Purpose: School Employee governed by public school code
- Work through the screens, as you complete the form and enter your credit card information.
- After you have submitted your information and ended your session, you should receive an email to let you know when results are ready. You will need to log back into the portal, so be sure to remember the login and password you need for this. Print a copy to pdf to submit to bjohnson@messiah.edu and to save on your computer.
- Contact number if processing is delayed (over 2 weeks) - 717-783-6211
- Pre-registration is required before going to the fingerprinting site. In most cases, you will need to make an appointment for the fingerprinting.
- Click on the link above. When prompted for a service code, enter 1KG6RT.
- When you are successfully registered, you will take your registration information to a registered site in Pennsylvania.
- Email the UEID to bjohnson@messiah.edu to allow TEP to check your results.
- You will receive an email with a link to access the results. You will only be able to access results one time. You will receive a copy of the results that is marked unofficial. This is what you should use for evidence of your clearance. You should be able to provide the UEID, and the school will look up results, but some schools may require you have the unofficial copy. If you aren't able to download it, contact Identogo to obtain your copy of the result.