A female student looks on intently.A female student looks on intently.

Clearances (Act 34, 114, 151)

In accordance with Pennsylvania Department of Education regulations, all teacher education candidates who have direct contact with children must have current (not more than one (1) year old) Pennsylvania State Criminal Background (Act 34), Child Abuse (Act 151), and Federal Criminal History Record (Act 114, Fingerprinting) clearances.  This applies to all course-related observation, field, and clinical experiences, as well as student teaching. It is recommended that Teacher Education Candidates apply for these clearances during their first semester at Cal U and then each summer thereafter.

Be sure to keep your original clearances in a safe place.  Many school districts will want to see the originals, not copies.

Obtaining Clearances

ACT 34 Clearance - Pennsylvania Criminal History Record

ACT 151 Clearance - Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance (requires 6 weeks to process)

PDE 6004 Arrest or Conviction Form

ACT 114 Clearance - Be sure to follow these instruction for the Act 114 Clearance:

  • Log onto Cogent Website:
  • Choose Department of Education
  • Choose Register on Line
  • Complete the registration form and print (you will need the registration id # to have your fingerprints taken and viewed)
  • Take your registration id # to the Cogent location of your choice, the nearest to Cal U is the Intermediate Unit in Coal Center
  • After you have your fingerprints taken, bring the registration ID number that you printed to Keystone 202 with your Cal U email listed. This number must begin with PAE and is followed by 14 digits.
  • College of Education and Human Services will provide you with a clearance letter within 72 hours of your uploaded results from Cogent, which may also take 3 business days to process.
  • You will receive an email when your clearance letter can be retrieved from Keystone 202.  
  • Please make copies of this letter to turn in to your department and placements.  Keep the original letter for your records.

Clearances with Infractions

Teacher Education candidates with any type of record, on any clearance, will require a meeting with the Director of Student Teaching.  Cal U does not deny Admission to Teacher Education because of any citation, but candidates need to be aware of future issues with the Department of Education and future employers. All Teacher Education candidates must be aware that the Pennsylvania Department of Education has the final decision on whether infractions on your record will impede the issuance of on your certification. Contact Michelle Cheatham  cheatham@calu.edu to arrange an appointment.