“In this life, we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
— Mother Theresa
 

Volunteer Information

CLEARANCES

All unpaid school volunteers must our review the volunteer guidelines, complete the volunteer application form, obtain the Act 34 Criminal History Record Check and Act 151 PA Child Abuse History Clearance.  These clearances must be on file at the school office and be no more than 1 year old at the time of submission.  You will be required to renew these clearances every 5 years.  The 5 years is calculated from the first clearance to meet the 5 year threshold.  Volunteers include, but are not limited to, adults accompanying students on field trips. volunteers in the classroom (including Junior Achievement Volunteers) or volunteers for other school events.

  • Instructions for Obtaining the 2 required clearances - Criminal History Record Check & Child Abuse Clearance are found Here

  • These clearances are free for volunteers.

In addition to the 2 state required clearances, St. Stephen's Episcopal School requires the following additional clearances in specific circumstances:

  • Field Trip Driver Clearance and Documentation (required for drivers) - See Driver Clearance Information Sheet

    • A copy of the the driver's current valid driver's license, insurance card and registration card must be on file prior to the field trip.

  • Federal Criminal History (FBI CLEARANCE) through the Department of Education.

    • In addition to the 2 clearances listed above, the following volunteers at St. Stephen's School require this clearance: OVERNIGHT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CHAPERONES, FIELD TRIP DRIVERS and PARENT VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH STUDENTS WITHOUT THE SUPERVISION OF A STAFF MEMBER

    • Act 114 FBI Criminal History (Fingerprint)
      Candidates can register to have their fingerprints taken at the new IDEMIA/Identogo locations. The process requires preregistration at https://uenroll.identogo.com/ and a service code for St. Stephen’s Episcopal School: 1KG738. When you enroll, you are given the opportunity to schedule an appointment at a local fingerprinting site. The updated fee for the clearance is $22.60. Candidates will need to select an appropriate identification document as a part of their registration and must bring it with them to the site when they are fingerprinted.

  • The volunteer is responsible for paying the cost of any required clearances.

As the safety of our students is our greatest priority it is the duty of St. Stephen's Episcopal School to do it's own due diligence with regard to obtaining volunteer clearances.  Therefore, you may be asked to provide new or additional clearances as needed.  We understand that some volunteers may have already provided this information to their employers, churches, sports or scout organizations or other organizations but St. Stephen's Episcopal School must maintain it's own database of clearances.  We appreciate your time and energy in volunteering to our school and your help in making this a safe environment for all students and staff.

If you have any questions regarding the clearances or the documentation needed to volunteer at St. Stephen's Episcopal School, please contact the school office at 717-238-8590 or office@sseschool.org.

SCHEDULING

All volunteer classroom visits must be scheduled with the classroom teacher.  Teachers will notify the office at least 24 hours in advance of a parent volunteer's arrival.  Upon arrival, parent volunteers and all guests must stop by the office, sign-in, and put on a visitor's badge.  Before leaving, all volunteers and guests must sign-out at the office.  This procedure is also required for field trip drivers. Please complete the google form to keep track of your volunteer hours.

SAFETY

All parent/guardian volunteers may not be alone with a student under any circumstance.  Being alone with a parent/guardian volunteer's own child is the only exception.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

View a volunteer FAQ provided by the Department of Human Services.  Note that the fingerprinting information link in this article is not the current link. Please use the information listed above for obtaining the Act 114 clearance.

Interested in Volunteering?