Clearances

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In compliance with Pennsylvania law, University policy, and the requirements of our funders, the Netter Center provides background checks for all student and staff volunteers and employees engaged in Netter Center programs that interact with minors more than once in a semester. Clearances are mandatory for in-person and remote engagement with K-12 students. The three required background checks are: Pennsylvania Child Abuse, Pennsylvania Criminal History Search - PATCH, and FBI fingerprinting. Additionally, students and staff working with Netter programs must complete mandated reporter training (INSTRUCTIONS HERE). Staff may need to complete additional clearances depending on school site. All documents must be on file with the University to be fully cleared.

The Netter Center partners with a team from Human Resources to process clearances for students and staff each semester. This service is only available to volunteers and employees affiliated with the Netter Center, ABCS courses, or our community partnerships.

ABCS STUDENTS AND FACULTY, click here for SPRING 2025 ABCS CLEARANCE INSTRUCTIONS

PENN STUDENTS not in an ABCS course, click here for SPRING 2025 CLEARANCE INSTRUCTIONS

Note: If you were previously cleared as a volunteer, but are now a paid employee, you must complete employee-level PA clearances. Employee-level clearances are valid for both employees and volunteers.

Find out answers to Frequently Asked Questions about clearances HERE.

For general questions about the clearance process or to get copies of your completed clearances, please email backgroundchecks@hr.upenn.edu AND myetunde@upenn.edu.