CLEARANCES

Clearances are good for five years.  If you have previously submitted clearances, but were recently (since last volunteering) arrested and/or convicted of a crime, it is your responsibility to report this to the league’s safety officer: 

• Nick Dunmire - [email protected] 

Managers: 

• If you plan to manage a team this spring and do not have up-to-date clearances on file with the league, you will NOT be permitted to participate in player evaluations. Additionally, your team will not be allowed to practice until your clearances are submitted. 

• The safety officer will contact you prior to evaluations if your clearances are not up-to-date.  For any team without a manager, or whose manager does not have up-to-date clearances, a representative from the league will draft the team. 

Responsibilities:

• Please provide the name of your first assistant coach at the annual managers’ meeting (if you know who this will be). You may also use this opportunity to submit other assistants’ names, but you may not know who they are at this point, since teams have not yet been picked. 

• If you cannot attend the meeting, send the name of your first assistant via email to the safety officer. NOTE: A member of your staff must attend the meeting if at all possible.

• After teams have been drafted, and you know who your other assistants will be, you must submit all of their names to the safety officer ASAP so they can be verified. This includes assistant coaches, team moms, and any other person who will be on the field, in the dugout, or working with players in any capacity. 

• A list of ALL “cleared” volunteers will go out to managers and league personnel via the division text message groups before the first practice. If a person’s name does not appear in that text message, they may not assist with the team in any way (including practices), until they are cleared.

• Once cleared, a message will be sent out by the safety officer in the group text alerting all managers in your division, and league personnel, that the person in question is now cleared to participate. 

  • If any uncleared person steps foot on the field, you will forfeit your manager position. 

• If someone agrees to help with your team (at any point before or during the season) it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as the manager to: 

  • Report the name to the safety officer in an email or in the group text.

  • Tell the individual that they must submit the appropriate clearances to the safety officer in an email.

  • Wait until you are contacted by the league as outlined above before you allow them to participate with the team.  You will be contacted by the league when they are cleared to participate.  Do not let anyone participate who says, “I submitted my clearances” until they are officially cleared by the league.  

All Volunteers: 

Volunteers are required to complete two clearances: 

• Link for Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History - https://epatch.pa.gov/home 

• Link for Child Welfare Portal - https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home 

*Softball Only: Safe Sport is needed for Softball Coaches. Go to www.pasoftball.com. Create a sign in and once completed click on the dashboard tab. Click My Family and then click the blue compliance button. It will bring up a screen for USA Background clearance and if you click Safe Sport it will take you directly to the Safe Sport site. Once they have completed one NGB course, have them save the certificate and upload it into the pasoftball system.

*If you have not lived in PA for the past 10 years, you will also need to complete the following FBI clearance: 

• Link for Federal Criminal History Background Checks - https://www.identogo.com/ 

All clearances can be emailed to Nick Dunmire at [email protected]. Please put “Clearances” in the subject line. 

Volunteer Disqualifiers:

• Drug Misdemeanors/Other – 2 years

  • Alcohol (DUIs) – You cannot have more than two DUIs in a seven- year period.  DUIs must be more than two years apart. 

• Violent Misdemeanors – 5 years

• Felony Offenses – 10 years

• All Sex Offenses and Felony Violence/Child Related – Never

• Additionally, all individuals with a pending case regarding violent crimes, or any crime against children, shall have volunteer privileges suspended until the resolution of the charges.