Volunteer Clearances

We welcome our volunteers and are grateful for the time and talent they share with the MMA Community.  They are valued members of our team!  As part of our Safe Environment policy, all school volunteers, without exception, must complete the background checks and clearances outlined on this page. This includes parents who will only be in the school once or twice, are chaperoning a trip, assisting with an athletic team or club, working in the Spirit Shop, helping in the Development Office, etc.

Certifications are to be submitted (hard copy or emailed) to Anne Gregg (agregg@merion-mercy.com), Assistant to the Head of School, in the Main Office.  Volunteers who have submitted in the past are asked to check with Anne Gregg each year to make sure their documents have not expired.

This policy requires that volunteers who may have any possible contact with students complete the following background checks and clearances:

Clearances for Volunteers Living in PA for Less than 10 years:

  • Pennsylvania State Police Clearance – Can be obtained online at https://epatch.pa.gov with results available within a few minutes (must be renewed every five years).
  • Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance -  Can be obtained online at  https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS  (must be renewed every five years).
  • Federal Criminal Background Check - Go to https://uenroll.identogo.com/ to schedule an appointment for the fingerprinting/background check. For all school volunteers the service code needed to register is: 1KG6ZJ  (PDE - Pennsylvania Department of Education Volunteers).  After this code is entered you should then click on Schedule or Manage Appointment and enter the required information. 

*Volunteers who reside in Pennsylvania do not have a provisional period and must obtain clearances prior to beginning service.

Clearances for Volunteers Living in PA Continuously for 10 years:

*Volunteers who reside in Pennsylvania do not have a provisional period and must obtain clearances prior to beginning service.

Clearances for Volunteers Living In New Jersey -  Volunteers who reside in New Jersey must provide a Federal Criminal Background Check in addition to clearances from their state of residence.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS - REGULAR CONTACT

Volunteers who have regular contact with students (at least one time per week) are required to complete parts one and two of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Safe Environment training listed below within 90 days of beginning their volunteer work. (Residents of New Jersey can complete these requirements through the Diocese of Camden.)

  • Part I: Protecting God's Children, is offered regularly at sites throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The training provides basic facts about child sexual abuse and adults’ roles in prevention. Register here.
  • Part II: The Mandatory Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse, is available online at an online Training Institute in English and Spanish. This training provides an overview of Archdiocesan reporting procedures for suspected child abuse and Pennsylvania Child Welfare Laws. The training should take you approximately one hour to complete. Register here.

If you have completed these courses in the past please provide documentation.  You do not have to retake the courses.