Criminal Clearance Requirements

The table below outlines the program criminal clearance for enrollment. Students are required to provide a Federal Cogent Criminal Clearance, a Criminal History and Record Information Check (Act 34 Clearance), and a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 33 Clearance) prior to enrollment. Additional information about criminal clearance requirements can be found in the catalog.   

Criminal background clearances (i.e Child Abuse, Criminal Background Check, FBI fingerprinting) may be completed up to 5 years (60 months) prior to the official graduation date of school/program.  ORIGINAL CLEARANCE DOCUMENT must be provided.

Students who submit any clearance completed prior to 6 months from the first official day of school must sign an Attestation paper that no criminal activity occurred from the date of the clearance until the current date.

Falsification of documentation would be grounds for immediate dismissal.

Any costs associated with these clearances are the student’s responsibility.

Please be sure to include your social security number when completing the Pennsylvania Child Abuse, Pennsylvania State Police, and Federal Bureau of Investigation clearances. Students who do not include a valid and correct social security number on the clearances will be required to redo the clearances. This may result in an additional expense.

If you have questions about the information on this page, please contact:

Jason Toler, Secretary
Office: 814-534-9771
Fax: 814-534-9945
jtoler@conemaugh.org 

Additional Details

Item #1 – Authorization and Release Form 

Print the Authorization and Release Form. (School of Nursing students-- You will complete this form at Registration)
Complete the form and return to the school. This form is the release form for obtaining the Pennsylvania State Police and FBI Criminal History background checks. This should be completed and mailed to the school. Information about the prohibitive offences contained in Act 169 of 1996 as amended by Act 13 can be found here.

Item #2 – Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance

*(results are mailed to you)

1. Navigate to the Child Abuse History Clearance Online portal. Link: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS
2. Create a new account. Be careful to provide the correct information and do not make any typos. An email will be sent to the email address provided to complete the new account process.
3. When you select login, select “Access My Clearances” and read the instructions. You will then be asked to login.
4. Once logged in select “Create Clearance Application” and read the following instructions. Select “Begin” to start the application.
5. For Application Purpose select “School Employee not governed by Public School Code: Applying as a school employee not Governed by Section 111 of the Public School Code."
6. Continue filling out the rest of the form. PLEASE PROVIDE A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER WHEN ASKED. You may also elect to have a paper version of the certificate sent to the address on file.
7. Review the information you provided in the “Application Summary”.
8. Sign the application electronically. In the “Application Payment” section when it asks “Did the organization provide a payment code for your application?” Select “No”. Then select “Make a Payment”.
9. Enter your credit/debit card information and select “Pay Now”. A payment completed screen will appear. Print a copy for your records as it also contains your e-Clearance ID number. Select “Finalize and Submit Application”.
10. You will receive an email when your application has been processed and a separate email when your results are available. Note that it may take up to 14 days for the results to become available.
11. Once your results are available, print a copy (you may need to login using the link from Step #1) and mail it to the school. Also, a form will be mailed to your home if you selected the option during the application process.
12. You will be notified in a confidential manner if a charge appears on your report.

Item #3 – Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check

*(results are immediate, print from website)

On July 1, 1998 the Older Adult Protective Services Act (OAPSA) became law. This law requires students to secure a complete Criminal History and Record Information Check for those who provide care to patients in settings specifically for the elderly population. The Act, as it applies to Conemaugh School of Nursing requires students rotating through a number of areas to have criminal background checks conducted.

1. Navigate to the Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History website. Link: https://epatch.pa.gov
2. Select “Submit a New Record Check” and read the instructions.
3. Select “Employment” for Reason For Request.
4. Fill out the rest of the form. Be careful to provide the correct information and do not make any typos. Verify the information then select “Proceed”.
5. Enter your information again. (You are essentially running this check for yourself.) Be sure to include any previous/maiden names or aliases. PLEASE PROVIDE A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER WHEN ASKED.
6. After you have entered all the information, select “Enter This Request”. Then select “Finished”.
7. Select “Submit”.
8. Enter your credit card information and then select “Next”. Follow the remaining instructions to complete the process.
9. You should be able to print your record check at the end of the process. Print a copy and mail it to the school. You may want to print multiple copies for your records.
10. You will be notified in a confidential manner if a charge appears on your report.

Item #4 – Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record Check

*(requires fingerprinting at designated facility, do not forget to take confirmation email to site. May take 8 wks to process so do not delay and the results will be mailed to you.)

Instructions for completion:

1. Navigate to the uenroll.Identogo.com.
2. Enter Code:  1KG756
3. Select Schedule or Manage Appointment tab from the options
4. Complete the application according to the directions on each section, including selection of a site location and payment information.
5.  YOU WILL RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION EMAIL.  You will need to take the confirmation email along with identification documentation (example: valid drivers license) to the testing center on the day of your appointment.
6. Do not contact Identogo Systems or the fingerprint site after your fingerprints have been submitted. Processing takes 2-3 weeks. If you do not receive your results in 4-6 weeks, call (855)845-7434 or visit uenroll.identogo.com.
7. An original paper copy of the results will be mailed to your home. You must provide the School with the original document immediately after receiving it. The School will make a copy of the form and return the original to you by mail. Please keep a copy of the original for your records.
8. You will be notified in a confidential manner if a charge appears on your report.

Item #5 – Department of Aging Clearance

*(if you have not been a resident of Pennsylvania for the past two (2) years, you will need to register online for additional fingerprint processing.  Results will be mailed to you)

Do so by going to the following website: https://uenroll.identogo.com/ . Enter service code: 1KG8RJ , Click "Schedule or Manage an Appointment" and complete the fields. CHS Facility Code is 5129. Once completed, please print the confirmation page to take with you to get fingerprinted. You will need to pay at the site via credit card or money order.

**To find a list of locations to get your fingerprints, please go to: https://uenroll.identogo.com/workflows/1KG756/locator/location