All persons, both employees and volunteers, who come into contact with children at any time in the course of their work are considered mandated reporters of child abuse and are required by Pennsylvania State Law to report to law enforcement authorities all cases of suspected child abuse. In order to further protect the youth of our community, PA State Law requires that all employees or volunteers who come into contact with children complete a PA State Police Criminal Background Check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance, FBI Criminal Background Check, National Sex Offender Registry Verfication, and to attend Mandated Reporter Training. Additionally, the Diocese of Allentown requires these persons to attend a Protecting God’s Children Workshop, and to read & acknowledge the Diocesan Code of Conduct, Sexual Abuse Policy, Social Media Policy, and Child Protective Services Law sheet. In some cases, volunteers may also be asked to read monthly educational bulletins on the Virtus Online Training/Tracking Platform.
ALL parents or volunteers who will be assisting with the PREP classes must complete the full Diocesan requirements, as well as the PA State mandate requirements.
Furthermore, no adults are permitted in the hallways, classrooms, or children's bathrooms during the PREP session. Only adults who have completed & submitted ALL of the required Diocesan & State mandates to the Parish Rectory will be permitted in the PREP classrooms when in session.
For further information on completing the required steps to volunteer, please visit the Volunteers section of our website.
Questions can be directed to the Parish Safe Environment Coordinator, Janessa Lanning O'Donnell, at the Rectory office: 610-965-2877, or via email: janessa.odonnell@stjoescoopersburg.org.
We thank you for your understanding & willingness to ensure the safety of the children of our Parish Family.