Teacher Education Office: Clearances

Please note that transfer applicants to all undergraduate and post-baccalaureate teacher certification programs from other institutions or from other majors within RMU must submit Act 34, Act 33/151, and Federal Criminal History Record Information (FBI) clearances with their applications.  All Pennsylvania school districts now require that any visitors to their schools – including teacher candidates completing field experience assignments, pre-student teaching, or student teaching – obtain three clearances.  To see detailed information about the clearances requirement, click here.  

For all questions concerning clearances, please contact Caylin Charrie, Certification Specialist, at charrie@rmu.edu or 412-397-6052.

Act 34 Clearance

The Act 34 Clearance is only valid for one year from issuance date.  Act 34 (PA Access to Criminal History - PATCH) Clearance is required of all students seeking teacher certification.  This clearance must be obtained prior to scheduling your first RMU course that requires field experiences, and then must be renewed annually to remain current.

You obtain the Act 34 Clearance electronically at https://epatch.state.pa.us/ by clicking on the Submit a New Record Check link.  

Act 33/151 (Pennsylvania Child Abuse) Clearance

This is required of all students seeking teacher certification.  This clearance must be obtained prior to scheduling your first RMU course that requires field experiences, and then must be updated annually to remain current.  The Act 33/151 Clearance is only valid for one year from the issuance date.

The Child Abuse History Clearance can be submitted online by using this link. The application fee must be paid with a debit/credit card. Creating an account and submitting your clearance application online will give you immediate access to your results or the status of your results if your results cannot be processed immediately.

Paper submissions of the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance application will still be accepted for anyone who may not have access to the internet. The application fee must be paid with a money order. The hardcopy version of the application may be found here.

https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS

Harrisburg, PA  17105-8170 
P.O. Box 8170
Department of Public Welfare
Childline and Abuse Registry
Ph:  717-783-6211 
PLEASE NOTE:  It may take 4 to 6 weeks for Pennsylvania agencies to return clearances.  This process can sometimes be expedited by submitting your application and money order to the local office of an elected representative to the Pennsylvania state legislature. 

Act 114 (FBI Criminal History Record) Clearance

This is required of all students seeking teacher certification.  This clearance needs to be obtained every year.  The cost includes an unofficial hard copy.    

The FBI criminal record clearance is a fingerprint–based background check, and is a multiple-step process.  To view the steps, click here.

TB Test Results Requirement

A tuberculosis (TB) test result is a requirement for pre-student teaching and student teaching.  A copy of valid TB test results must be provided to the Teacher Education Office, along with your updated clearances in your student teaching application.  The TB test result is only valid for one year from testing date, and then must be renewed annually to remain current.

For more information the TB testing requirement, and for help in fulfilling this requirement, please click here.

For More Information, Contact:

Caylin Charrie
Certification Specialist
charrie@rmu.edu
412-397-6052