It’s important that we do everything possible to keep your children safe. To that end, the State of Pennsylvania has over the years enacted several pieces of legislation designed to guard against malicious adults coming into contact with school-aged children. The latest such legislation is PA ACT 153.

What Is PA ACT 153?

Pennsylvania Act 153, otherwise known as PA ACT 153, is an important child-protection law that came into effect on October 2014. It was passed as a response to the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal at Penn State. The goal of the legislation is to guard against known offenders entering the state education system and ensure safer environments for all children in the state of Pennsylvania.

This new law applies to all for-profit and non-profit organizations, including schools and churches, where workers over the age of 14 have direct contact with children. It requires both paid employees and volunteers to be properly checked out before they take new positions.

The upshot of PA ACT 153 is that all public or private school employees (including teachers and coaches), daycare employees, and volunteers working with children (such as Sunday school teachers) must pass a series of thorough background checks. These background checks include:

·         Child abuse checks, obtained through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

·         Criminal history review, collected from the Pennsylvania State Police PATCH system

·         Federal criminal history review, acquired via FBI fingerprints

All new employees and volunteers who want to work with children must go through this process of background checks. In addition, clearances must be renewed every five years (60 months).

By mandating that everyone who works with children pass these background checks, PA ACT 153 reassures parents that their children are being taught and looked over by trusted individuals.

What Is ProVerify’s FBI Digital Fingerprinting Service?

To fulfill the requirements of PA ACT 153, all identified businesses and organizations must register the fingerprints of their employees and volunteers with the FBI. ProVerify makes this easy by offering on-site fingerprinting events that bring FBI fingerprinting services to your doorstep.

When you schedule either a full- or half-day fingerprinting event, we send one of our two mobile fingerprinting units to your location; nobody has to drive long distances or spend time away from work. Your employees and volunteers pre-register, so they don’t have to stand in long lines. It’s a walk-up service, no waiting.

Our skilled technicians digitally fingerprint each employee or volunteer, using our quality portable scanning units. Once we obtain the necessary fingerprints, we transmit them to the FBI for the necessary clearances. When fingerprints are cleared, they’re stored in our online tracking system. We do all the record keeping for you.

Learn more about the process in this video.

How Can ProVerify Help You Comply with PA ACT 153?

By using ProVerify to fingerprint your employees and volunteers, you relieve the stress of obtaining FBI fingerprinting for every individual in your organization. ProVerify’s on-site digital fingerprinting saves you time and money and ensures 100% compliance with PA ACT 153’s requirement for Federal criminal history checks.

Learn more about how ProVerify can help you comply with PA ACT 153 and obtain FBI fingerprinting for all of your employees and volunteers. We make your job easier – and the children you’re responsible for safer.

To learn more or schedule an FBI fingerprinting event, contact us today