Pennsylvania Department of Education
New Process for Online Access of Federal Criminal History Background Checks
Effective December 1, 2008
As of December 1, 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will begin using new procedures for obtaining federal criminal history background checks of prospective public school and private school employees and their contractors. This is a summary of changes and not intended to be a complete description of the process or requirements of law. The Department will continue to update its website with information on the new process including Questions and Answers.
The change in processing has been undertaken to improve the process to efficiently handle the high volume of federal criminal background checks requested each month. The new system is designed to turn around reports within two days, and will enable school administrators to review the reports electronically, for individuals who are fingerprinted on or after December 1, 2008. There is no change in procedure for individuals who are fingerprinted prior to December 1, 2008. Administrators will not be able to view online the reports of individuals who are fingerprinted prior to December 1, 2008. Applicants fingerprinted prior to December 1, 2008 will still present a watermarked, paper copy issued by PDE.
The new process does not change the basic provisions of the law regarding who is required to have a federal criminal history background check. As of April 1, 2007, under Act 114 of 2006, public and private schools have been required to review federal criminal history record information (CHRI) records of all prospective employees and independent contractors who will have contact with children, and make a determination regarding the fitness of the individual to have contact with children. The Act requires the report to be reviewed in a manner prescribed by PDE. The review of CHRI reports is required prior to employment, and includes school bus drivers and other employees hired by independent contractors who will have contact with children.
The process to be followed for applicants to be fingerprinted will not change, however, the process for access to CHRI reports will change. Under the current system, CHRI reports are mailed to the applicant by PDE. The applicant / prospective employee then submits a copy of the CHRI report with his or her employment application. Under the new system, PDE will provide access to CHRI records online to approved hiring entities – public and private schools- via a secure web site. Applicants fingerprinted on or after December 1, 2008 will no longer receive the CHRI record from PDE to submit with an employment application, however, applicants may request an unofficial paper copy of the CHRI record. Following are details regarding the new process:
Applicant Registration. Applicants will still register in advance to be fingerprinted with Cogent Systems at this web address:
www.pa.cogentid.com Applicants may register online or by phone and then proceed to be fingerprinted at a Cogent Systems site. Applicants who register on or after December 1, 2008 will be given a Registration ID # when they complete their application. Applicants must present this number to the hiring entity in order for the public or private school to access the report via the new electronic system.
Applicants registering on or after December 1st can receive a copy of their CHRI Report by indicating their desire to do so when they register. This will be the only opportunity for the applicant to request a paper copy of their CHRI. The fee for the background check for those who register on or after December 1st, has been reduced to $36, however if the applicant requests a paper copy of the report, that will cost an additional $2.00. The paper copy will not be regarded as the official report, however, it will provide the applicant with a copy of the information that the school administrator will see when the report is reviewed.
*Effective June 15, 2009, the fee for applicants to obtain a paper copy of their CHRI report from Cogent Systems will be $2.50. The new fee will apply to those who register with Cogent Systems, on and after June 15, 2009.
Fingerprint Sites. Since April 2007, Cogent Systems has established over 80 sites across the Commonwealth. PDE encourages school districts or other public and private schools, where access to the fingerprint location is more than 20 miles away, to contact Cogent Systems and suggest areas where another closer site could be established.
Processing CHRI reports. On and after December 1st, Cogent Systems will forward the applicant’s fingerprints electronically to the FBI; after the record check is completed, the FBI will forward the CHRI reports electronically to Cogent Systems which will maintain the reports in a secure database. Approved entities will be provided a User ID and Password to access the reports of applicants who provide the hiring entity with their Registration ID. The new electronic process is expected to make reports available (online) within two days, drastically cutting down the amount of time involved in processing the reports.
Public Schools and Private Schools. As approved entities, public schools and private schools will have access online through a secure website. PDE has provided the names and email addresses of chief school administrators of approved hiring entities to Cogent Systems, using the information in the EDNA system. The approved entities are public schools, including school districts, intermediate units, Career and Technology Centers and Charter Schools; and private schools including Approved Private Schools, PRRIs, licensed private academic schools and non-public schools. Teacher Training Institutions (higher education) are also considered approved entities to access the CHRI reports for prospective student teachers. The Department is currently working with private and non-public schools to verify email addresses for their administrators.
Login and Password. Access to the secure database will be provided by Cogent Systems to approved entities for whom Cogent Systems has an accurate email address. Cogent will contact each approved entity to provide specific information regarding logins and passwords. The school entity does not have to contact PDE or Cogent at this time. Cogent is expected to begin contacting schools in early November to give each school entity one general administrative login and password. The login and password will consist of the entity’s unique AUN number and a password generated by Cogent. This information will be given to the chief school administrator at each approved entity.
The general administrative login and password will allow each chief school administrator to create additional operator logins and passwords so that multiple users can have access to the secure Web site. The school administrator is responsible for maintaining the list of personnel who will have access to the system, and must provide the list of names to Cogent Systems. Any changes to the login and password or to the personnel assigned access to the site will be managed by Cogent Systems with approval from PDE.
Reviewing a CHRI Report. To review an applicant’s CHRI report, the prospective employee must give the approved entity his or her Registration ID #. To access a record, the school administrator will go to a secure website, with a new web address, specific to the online access of CHRI reports for PDE. The new web address to be used only for online access by approved entities is:
https://www.cogentresults.com/pde. At the next login screen, the administrator will enter the username and password. Once the login is complete, the next screen will ask for the applicant’s Registration ID #. After the number is entered, the CHRI report will appear for the administrator to review.
If the applicant is hired, the school administrator must print out a copy and retain it in the employee’s file. If the applicant is not hired, the administrator is prohibited from printing a copy and retaining it in a file. Under no circumstances can the school give a copy of the CHRI report to the applicant. Note, there will be no CHRI reports to review online until after individuals are fingerprinted on and after December 1, 2008.
Student Teachers. Prospective student teachers are to provide their Registration ID# to the Administrator of their teacher preparation program. Under Act 114, that Administrator is required to review the CHRI and make the determination of the fitness of the applicant to perform work that places the individual in contact with children. If the individual is approved for field experience and student teaching, the Administrator is required, under the Act to make a copy of the CHRI report and maintain a file which includes that report throughout the individual’s enrollment in the teacher preparation program. The Department has a set of Questions and Answers on its website that addresses in further detail the requirement for student teachers.
Contractors, including school bus drivers and others who perform work for the school under contract, and who are not school employees will experience a change in procedure under the new process. Public and private schools will need a listing of their contractors’ prospective employees and their Registration ID #’s. The schools will then be responsible for going online to review the prospective employees’ CHRI records to make a determination of the fitness of the individual to perform work that places the individual in contact with children. The law has required the school to make this fitness determination, this does not reflect a policy change and does not change the status of the employee as an employee of the contractor. Once hired, a copy of the contracted employees’ CHRI is to be maintained by the school.
Information regarding the process for applicants to register to be fingerprinted, and a list of fingerprint sites can be found on PDE’s website and on Cogent Systems’ website at:
www.pa.cogentid.com. PDE is in the process of revising the information posted on the website to provide updates on the new system and will continue to post Questions and Answers regarding the process. Pennsylvania’s Intermediate Units have each designated a contact person to provide input and disseminate information regarding the new process to public and private schools within their region, and will be included in information updates.
Questions about processing CHRIs and new process should be directed to:
