Nov 18, 2014 By Susan Schmeichel 1 min read

Peters Township School members plan to expedite approval of a policy which changes the requirements for criminal background checks for district staff and volunteers.

State Act 153, which was signed into law in October, mandates updated clearances for all school employees and volunteers be done every three years.

Board member Lisa Anderson said the district used to require volunteers to have their clearances redone every five years.

“Employees never had to get theirs redone,” she said.

School officials said that under the district’s current guidelines, volunteers ‘in direct contact with students” were required to obtain the clearances.

The board discussed the policy at a meeting held Nov. 17 and expects to approve it at a meeting scheduled for Dec. 1. The state requires that the policy be approved before Dec. 31.

Under the new law, employees and volunteers who have lived in Pennsylvania for at least 10 years will have to obtain a state police criminal background check and child abuse clearance through the state Department of Public Welfare.

Those who have moved to the state within the last 10 years will also have to obtain a clearance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.