Clearances for Teacher Certification Students

Pennsylvania School Law and our partner school districts require all teacher certification candidates to have valid, updated clearances on file during any semester where they will work with minors, whether in school placements or other settings.

At Gettysburg College, the following Education courses have fieldwork components and require clearances:

  • EDUC 115 Social Foundations of Education
  • EDUC 201 Educational Psychology
  • EDUC 306 Teaching Social Studies
  • EDUC 320 Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
  • EDUC 331 Teaching English Language and Literature
  • EDUC 340 Teaching Students with Diverse Needs
  • EDUC 350 Teaching Math and Science
  • EDUC 405 Student Teaching Seminar
  • EDUC 476 Student Teaching Internship

In addition, all music education courses have fieldwork components and require clearances including MUS_CLAS 149, 150, 152, 154, 156, 159, 320, 321, 410, 412, 440, and 476.

Clearances must be:

  1. On file in the Office of Teacher Education and Certification: email certification@gettysburg.edu. Note: you may not begin any field experience including observation or visiting until all clearances are on file.
  2. On your person in hard copy at all times when in a school. You must physically carry your clearances with you while observing or visiting. Put them in a folder and bring it with you.
  3. Saved to your computer as back-up copies. Create a folder on your computer where you keep your clearances and other important teacher certification information.

When obtaining clearances, it is important to use the legal name that appears on your government-issued identification. Your ID (driver's license, passport, other) should match the information on the clearances.

Note: Once initial clearances have been obtained, they are typically valid for 5 years as long as two conditions are true: 1) You have not committed any offenses in the intervening time period; and 2) You have maintained continuous enrollment at Gettysburg College during all fall and spring semesters in the intervening time period.
There may be some cases in which a school district requires a renewal of one or more clearances every year. In those instances, you must abide by the district's wishes and obtain new clearances. If this is the case, you will be informed by your field experience supervisor or course instructor. Updated clearances must always be sent to the Office of Teacher Education for your teacher certification file.

Get your Clearances

Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check

  • Go to https://epatch.pa.gov and click “Submit a New Record Check”
  • Scroll to the bottom and accept the terms and conditions.
  • Choose “Individual Request” and “Employment” as your reason for the request
  • Fill out all other information as needed and submit. Results are quick and received via email.

Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance Check

  • Follow the steps to create an individual account at https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/Public/Home
  • After your account is created, fill out the application for the clearance by signing in from the same link
  • Choose “School Employee Governed by Public School Code…” as your reason and fill out the rest of the application.
  • This one takes a little longer to email, and you may also receive a physical copy in the mail.

FBI Criminal Background Check

This clearance is the only one involving an in-person appointment, and must be completed in the state of PA (unless you want to pay an extra $25 fee). If you're an in-state student, feel free to do this at home before coming to campus, otherwise we can help organize a carpool if needed to the fingerprinting center in New Oxford to get this done for out-of-state and any in-state students who still need it. 

  • Follow the steps at this link: https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Clearances/Pages/FBI-Fingerprinting.aspx.
    • Once you get to the IdentiGo site, click "Get Fingerprinted," choose Pennsylvania, and then select "Digital Fingerprinting".
    • Our service code is: 1KG6RT
  • Indicate that your mailing address is not the same as your residential address, and use your Gettysburg College address as mailing so you get it faster.
  • Choose the type of identification most appropriate.  You will have to bring this exact ID with you to your fingerprinting appointment.
  • If getting fingerprinted here in Adams County:
    • Enter "17325" in the search box and select "New Oxford, PA" from the list. 
    • If you are able to provide your own transportation, and will be going on your own, you can choose an appointment time. If going with someone else, you can either choose a time with them or select "Walk-in", and go whenever. Note that walk-in might mean you have to wait a bit.
  • If getting fingerprinted somewhere else in Pennsylvania, enter your ZIP code and choose the closest fingerprinting location.
  • Print or save the "Service Summary" page which includes your "UE-ID." You will need this at your fingerprinting appointment.
  • The New Oxford fingerprinting site is at 65 Billerbeck Street, New Oxford, PA 17350. Find their hours on their website.
  • You can and should elect to receive your results electronically.  During the registration process it will ask you for your email and a security question.  Please note (from the registration site): When the applicant does access the results, it is important that they be able to download it, save it and print it for future needs. There will be NO SECOND ACCESS to this electronic result. Save and/or print the PDF it gives you IMMEDIATELY.

Pennsylvania Department of Education Arrest/Conviction Report (form PDE-6004)

Tuberculosis Test

  • Get a tuberculosis test (can be done at your primary caregiver or at the health center on campus). Scan proof of the negative result.
  • Tuberculosis tests involve an injection and then a reading 48-hours later. Make sure to schedule this appointment at a time that allows you to go back to the doctor after two days.
  • If you want to do it on campus: Call the Health Center at 717-337-4105 to make an appointment. The cost can be billed to your student account, and you will have to return to the Health Center after 48 hours to have the test read.