Pennsylvania Safety & Volunteer Compliance Program
Meet and exceed Pennsylvania’s school volunteer compliance mandates.
What is Required of School Volunteers in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania law mandates three specific clearances for every school volunteer.
- Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) – Checks an applicant’s information against the criminal history database maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository.
- PA Child Abuse History Clearance – Provides the applicant information as to whether or not they are listed in the Pennsylvania statewide database as a perpetrator of child abuse.
- FBI Federal Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) – The CHRI is the result of an FBI fingerprint-based background check.
Raptor VolunteerSafe is the only solution built specifically for Pennsylvania’s three-clearance workflow.
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Pennsylvania Safety & Volunteer Compliance Program
We are excited to announce the Pennsylvania Safety & Volunteer Compliance Program, offering VolunteerSafe, plus Raptor VisitorSafe and Emergency Management Suite, at one flat price per campus. This program offers Pennsylvania districts and non-public schools a savings of 33% off the list price when purchased as a bundle. The offer includes:
- VolunteerSafe: Includes a native Pennsylvania three-clearance workflow that empowers districts and private schools to recruit, engage, and manage volunteers without compromising safety or adding administrative burden.
- VisitorSafe and Tablet License: Screen and welcome visitors with go-anywhere tablets, advanced identity verification, real-time visibility, and a companion app to help create a modern, secure process you can trust.
- Emergency Management Suite: Equip staff to act decisively with instant alerts, live visibility into who’s safe, and step-by-step reunification that helps keep everyone calm and informed.
TESTIMONIALS
Leverage PCCD Grants for Safety and Compliance
The 2026-27 School Safety & Mental Health Grants are now open for application until October 16, 2026. They will provide $138,779,000 to school districts, intermediate units, area career and technical schools, charter schools, regional charter schools, and cyber charter schools to support physical security enhancements and/or mental health initiatives.
Allowable expenses include:
- Security-related technology such as those offered in the Pennsylvania Safety & Volunteer Compliance Program
- Visitor identification systems
- Implementation of threat assessment teams
- violent behavior prevention and early intervention training
- Conducting emergency drills
- And more.
Application details for the next round of the Targeted School Safety for Nonpublic Schools Grants are expected to be released soon and will be shared on this page once available.
Ensure Compliance with Pennsylvania School Safety Mandates
See how Raptor solutions support compliance. Select a law below for details.
Act 20 of 2026
Act 20 of 2026: Funds school safety and mental health grants and adds new school safety requirements
School Safety Grants · Bullying & Cyberbullying · Student Wellness
Requirement
Allocates millions of dollars for the School Safety and Mental Health Grants and the Targeted School Safety Grants in the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The act also contains requirements related to cyberbullying policies, bullying and cyberbullying reporting, school mapping services, student wellness checks, and more.
Raptor Compliance
Raptor solutions align with the allowable expenses of both the School Safety and Mental Health Grants and the Targeted School Safety Grants, which include security-related technology, visitor identification systems, violent behavior prevention and early intervention training, threat assessment teams, and more.
Raptor StudentSafe™ helps streamline Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) reporting, investigation, documentation, and follow-up in one place. The system allows for configurable workflows, captures low-level concerns, builds a record of concerns, responses, and outcomes, and uses data visualization to identify trends and support leadership oversight.
Section 1322-B
Section 1322-B (from Act 20 of 2026): Requires school mapping service contracts funded with state money to meet set standards
School Mapping Services
Requirement
Requires contracts between school entities or nonpublic schools and providers of school mapping services funded in whole or in part with Commonwealth funds to:
- integrate with and be viewable within software used by emergency service agencies without requiring additional software or access fees
- be available in printable and electronically shareable formats
- be oriented to true north with consistent “x” and “y” coordinates
- and more.
Raptor Compliance
Raptor’s partnership with Critical Response Group (CRG) integrates CRG’s maps within Raptor’s Emergency Management platform, supporting compliance with the requirements outlined in Section 1322-B.
Act 84
Act 84: Allows school nurses and staff to complete approved seizure training at no cost
Seizure Safety · Staff Training
Requirement
Allows school nurses and staff who work directly with students to complete approved seizure training at no cost that counts toward continuing professional education requirements.
Raptor Compliance
Raptor Staff Compliance Training, powered by PublicSchoolWORKS, offers two courses (M-833 “Seizure Training for School Personnel” and M-921 “Seizure Recognition and First Aid for School Personnel”) to support compliance with Act 84.
It is important to note that the requirements are permissive rather than mandatory, but completion of these courses can count toward the continuing professional education requirements of professional educators and school or system leaders.
Article XIII-E
Article XIII-E: Requires schools to establish threat assessment teams and provide annual team training
Behavioral Threat Assessment · Team Training
Requirement
Requires Pennsylvania schools to establish at least one team to assess interventions for students whose behavior may indicate a threat to themselves, school facilities, or others. The chief school administrator, or a designee, shall annually facilitate opportunities for team members to complete training consistent with nationally recognized best practices.
Raptor Compliance
Raptor StudentSafe supports the duties of threat assessment teams by providing structured, policy-aligned workflows for identifying, assessing, and managing threatening or concerning behavior, and by offering task management and role-based access that enable multidisciplinary team collaboration.
The Raptor Student Wellbeing Initiative provides expert coaching, proven resources, and targeted training led by practitioners with real-world experience in schools and districts, strengthening staff readiness and building more sustainable, effective student wellbeing programs in schools.
CPSL
Child Protective Services Law (CPSL): Requires background clearances for employees, volunteers, and resource parents who work with children
Background Clearances · Volunteer Screening
Requirement
Requires certain individuals to submit clearances to be employed, serve as a resource parent (foster or adoptive), or volunteer with children. Clearances are required for an employee or unpaid volunteer every 60 months from the date of the oldest clearance or more frequently based on licensure or employer requirements. The required clearances include Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH), PA Child Abuse History Clearance, and FBI Federal Criminal History Record Information (CHRI).
Raptor Compliance
Raptor VolunteerSafe™ includes a native Pennsylvania three-clearance workflow that empowers districts and private schools to recruit, engage, and manage volunteers without compromising safety or adding administrative burden.
Act 126
Act 126 (Section 1205.6): Requires child abuse recognition and reporting training every 5 years
Child Abuse Prevention · Staff Training
Requirement
Requires school employees and contractors who have direct contact with children to complete at least 3 hours of training every 5 years on recognizing and reporting child abuse and sexual misconduct.
Raptor Compliance
Raptor Staff Compliance Training, powered by PublicSchoolWORKS, offers the M-667 “Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Mandated and Permissive Reporting in Pennsylvania” course to support compliance with Act 126.
More Active Funding Opportunities
The state of Pennsylvania has allocated additional funding to enhance school safety, while federal grant opportunities provide further support for these efforts. The following programs align with Raptor’s solutions:
FY26-27 Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program
Project period: 18 months
The FY26-27 Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program provides $10M to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to support security enhancements. Allowable expenses include:
- safety and security equipment
- security-related technology
- safety and security training
- threat awareness and response training
- threat assessments
- and any other safety or security-related project that enhances the safety and security of the nonprofit organization
Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program (PSFIG)
Period of Performance End Date: Not specified in the published program guidelines; project completion deadlines may be established in the grant agreement upon award.
The Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program (PSFIG) provides a total of $200M (up to $5M per award) to public school districts and area career and technical schools for eligible facility improvement projects. Allowable expenses include:
- health and safety upgrades
- activities related to emergencies
- and more
FY26 BJA STOP School Violence Program
The Grants.gov application deadline is October 30, 2026, and the JustGrants application deadline is November 6, 2026.
The FY26 BJA STOP School Violence Program will provide an expected total of $111,145,913 to equip students and teachers with tools needed to recognize, respond quickly to, and help prevent acts of violence. Allowable expenses include:
- violence prevention training,
- anonymous reporting systems,
- development and deployment of threat assessment and intervention teams,
- and other measures the BJA Director determines will significantly improve these areas.
FY26 COPS SVPP
Award Period: 36 months
The FY26 Community Oriented Policing Services School Violence Prevention Program (COPS SVPP) will provide an estimated total of $73M for K-12 school security improvements. Allowable expenses include:
- panic alarm notification systems
- security systems and accompanying equipment
- school maps
- visitor management systems
- and more
FY26 School Safety Enhancement Program
Project period: Up to 36 months
The FY26 School Safety Enhancement Program will provide a total of $93M to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) for school safety systems and physical security. Allowable expenses include:
- deterrent measures
- visitor screening infrastructure
- emergency communications systems
- active threat response training
FY26 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)
Projected Period of Performance End Date: 8/31/2029
The FY26 Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) makes an estimated $300M available to nonprofits (as subrecipients) for physical security enhancements. Allowable expenses include:
- identification, assessment, and reporting of threats
- improving the cybersecurity of access control, identity verification systems, and security technologies
- training
- and more
Related Resources
A Closer Look: Raptor VisitorSafe™ & EventSafe™
Join Raptor product leaders for a walk through of the latest features in Raptor VisitorSafe and EventSafe and how schools are using them to better manage both daily visitors and high-attendance events.
A Closer Look: Raptor VolunteerSafe
See how Raptor VolunteerSafe helps schools streamline volunteer management with customizable screening, ongoing background monitoring, and improved administrative efficiency.
Explore the Pennsylvania Safety & Volunteer Compliance Program
See how Raptor can help your organization meet and exceed Pennsylvania’s volunteer compliance mandates.