Legislative Status

1
Pennsylvania Association of School Business
Officials
Act 114 Web Forum April 16, 2007 200 PM
2
Forum Panelists

• Alan T. Vandrew, PRSBA
• Chief Fiscal Officer
• Mechanicsburg Area SD
• avandrew_at_mbgsd.org
• Blake Godard
• Cogent Systems
• BGodard_at_cogentsystems.com
• Marion Echols-Clark
• Office of Elementary Secondary Education
• Pennsylvania Department of Education
• mecholscla_at_state.pa.us

3
Criminal History Background Checks

• New Requirement for Federal Clearances

4
Criminal History Background Checks

• Act 114 of 2006 School Code Amendments
• Amends Section 111 Regarding Background Checks
• New requirements for Federal Background Checks

5
Criminal History Background Checks

• Changes
• Expands definition of prospective employees
• Bus Drivers
• Student Teachers

6
Criminal History Background Checks

• Changes
• Federal criminal history record required of all
  who meet definition
• No more than 1 year old at time of employment
• Employment on a provisional basis for 90 days

7
Criminal History Background Checks

• Reminders - Disqualifying Crimes

8
Criminal History Background Checks

• Reminders
• Requirements do not apply to
• Those who have no direct contact with children
• Those who meet all of the following requirements
• Employees under 21 years of age
• Employment for 90 days or less
• Job Development or Job Training Program

9
Criminal History Background Checks

• Reminders
• Administrators subject to civil penalty for
  willful noncompliance
• Administrator Employment Decisions
• Civil penalty not to exceed 2,500

10
Criminal History Background Checks

• Reminders
• Provisional employment if
• Application for clearances filed
• Administrator has no knowledge of
  disqualification
• Applicant swears or affirms no disqualification
  (Disclosure Statement)
• Applicant will be suspended, subject to
  termination, if disqualified
• Applicant not permitted to work alone with
  children and will work in the immediate vicinity
  of a permanent employee
• No strike

11
Criminal History Background Checks

• Process for Federal Background Check
• Vendor selected by PDE Cogent Systems
• Fixed site locations/Website/ Help Desk
  (www.pa.cogentid.com)
• Pre-registration required via call center or
  Internet
• Prepayment allowed when scheduled on Internet via
  credit/debit card
• Money orders or cashiers checks accepted at site
  no cash or personal checks
• Billing procedure being established for agencies
  paying the fee

12
Criminal History Background Checks

• Process for Federal Background Check (continued)
• Digital fingerprints and background information
  submitted to
• State Police FBI PDE Applicant
  Employer
• Commonwealth Seal Official Record
• Expected timeline 6 to 8 weeks
• Cost - 40

13
(No Transcript)
14
Who is Cogent Systems?

• Cogent Systems is a provider of biometric
  solutions to governments, law enforcement and
  industry
• We develop the science that makes verification
• and identification possible
• Similar Solutions to PDE
• Approved channeling agent to the Federal Bureau
  of Investigation
• US Department of Homeland Securitys US VISIT
• Florida Department of Education Applicant
  Processing Service
• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Applicant
  Processing Service
• Georgia Bureau of Investigation Applicant
  Processing Service

15
What is a Cogent Systems Livescan?

• Databases of known criminals are stored at the
  State and Federal level. These fingerprint
  repositories are managed by, and commonly
  referred to as, AFIS systems

• A Livescan is the method in which demographic
  data and fingerprint images are collected and
  submitted to the AFIS
• In Pennsylvania the Livescan is an applicant
  device

16
What is the submittal process for applicant
fingerprints in Pennsylvania

• Applicant Livescans collect fingerprints in much
  the same manner as law enforcement Livescan
  devices, the difference being (ORIs, TOTs,
  etc)
• Rules governing the management of applicant
  fingerprints are different and vary state to
  state
• In PA, prints are forwarded to the PA State
  Police, which acts as the channeling agent for
  Cogent to the FBI

17
What solution components are provided in
Pennsylvania

• 54 Livescan devices
• Additional private Livescan devices
• Sites determined primarily by county population
• 26 fingerprint regions
• A solution scaled to process 500,000 transactions
  a year (PDE expects 80,000 to 100,000)
• 13 mobile units

18
What is the Fingerprint process for Pennsylvania
Department of Education

• The applicant must register with Cogent Systems
• The applicant must determine/make payment
• The applicant chooses fingerprint site for print
  collection
• The applicant has fingerprints collected
• The applicant waits for background check
  certificate from Pennsylvania Department of
  Education
• 1 2 must be completed prior to print collection
  (3)

19
Registration

• Go online at www.pa.cogentid.com click Register
  Online
• Or phone [phone]
• Demographic information that is pertinent to PDE
  and the FBI will be collected at this time
• It is suggested that all applicants enroll online
  to insure the validity and completeness of all
  collected data
• Applicants should register with the address at
  which they wish to receive their results
• No data may be entered or adjusted at the
  fingerprint site

20
Payment

• Go online at www.pa.cogentid.com, click Pay
  Online
• Or phone [phone]
• Payment and registration is linked by SSN
• Charge is incurred only after prints are
  collected
• If payment is made, and fingerprint is cancelled,
  there is a service charge of 10.00

21
Payment

• During registration pay type must be determined
  (Applicant or Agency)
• Credit Card (No AMEX), Money Order, Cashier
  Checks APPLICANT Billing Accounts AGENCY
• No cash is accepted by any fingerprint site
• Employers may establish a billing account. An
  ABID number and password will be issued to those
  employers.
• Billing accounts are required to enroll their own
  applicants online

22
Fingerprinting

• Fingerprint Sites may change, or be added, see
  www.pa.cogentid.com, click Fingerprint Sites
• Hours differ from site to site, check website for
  details
• A State or Federal photo ID must be presented at
  the site. See www.pa.cogentid.com, click What to
  Bring
• ID is not used to verify address
• Payment will be verified onsite, or money orders
  collected
• Applicants will have 12 scans on the scanner, 2
  flats and 10 fingers

23
Fingerprint Site Information

• Hours of operation for each fingerprint site is
  listed at www.pa.cogentid.com, click Fingerprint
  Sites
• Some fingerprint sites require appointments
• Fingerprint sites are not required to provide
  receipts. Receipts that state an applicant has
  completed their background check may be obtained
  at www.pa.cogentid.com, click Receipts
• Fingerprint sites are NOT the source for
  applicant information. Applicants may find all
  required information concerning background check
  procedures at www.pa.cogentid.com.
• Do not contact the fingerprint site or Cogent
  Systems after your prints have been collected.
  Applicants that do not receive their Criminal
  History Record within eight weeks should call
  717-783-3750 or email dwolfgang_at_state.pa.us

24
Additional Information

• Some fingerprint sites provide mobile service.
  Sites that provide this service list this option
  on their site information. See
  www.pa.cogentid.com, click Fingerprint Sites for
  more information
• Mobile service requires access to the internet at
  the visited site. It also requires one time
  network configuration by the visited site. This
  configuration must be completed prior to the
  mobile visit.
• Livescan equipment is available for sale to
  agencies or companies that wish to maintain
  control over their own fingerprint process. For
  more information contact
• Blake Godard
• Cogent Systems
• bgodard_at_cogentsystems.com