Diocesan Charter Forms and Information.
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Saint Bernard School
401 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15216
Office: 412.341.5444 Fax: 412.341.2044
September 24, 2008
Dear Saint Bernard School Volunteer (general school, ptg, athletic association, advisory council, etc.),
The Diocese of Pittsburgh has mandated that all parishes (diocesan schools) be in compliance with diocesan policies pertaining to the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” Every parish is required to adhere to the norms of the Charter, which require that all clergy, employees and volunteers who have regular contact with minors in parishes or school activities complete the following:
The database and the policy requirements listed above have been revised over the past year and are noted in the revised Diocese of Pittsburgh ‘Safe Environments for Children Policy’ enacted 5-01-08. In this policy all volunteers that have regular contact with children must complete the items above.
After completion of the above items, the parish/school/religious education program is then permitted to grant “approval” to volunteers in their ministries. Verification in the form of dates are then entered into the database by me directly for school volunteers after I obtain all needed items.
As of today, Saint Bernard Parish has not mandated a deadline for completion. However, it is with the expectation that the Charter requirements are in process and will be completed shortly, for continued volunteering with our programs. This means that in the very near future, all volunteers will need to complete the charter requirements in order to be “approved” as a school volunteer. As you know, the school’s success depends so much upon our volunteers so your cooperation with the Charter is necessary.
I am asking you to complete the following items and return verification to the school office as soon as possible. If you already have verification (certificate/form), please send in the verification with all other items needed.
_____ Apply on the Diocese Database Program on the Diocesan web page www.diopitt.org
Please note that an instruction card/page is included to assist with process. Please also note that
volunteers do not need to put in their social security number (as employees). It is important when
selecting your site to designate Saint Bernard School in Mount Lebanon as your primary site.
_____ Obtain State Criminal Clearance – Act 34 – (copy included) Required for Act 151 Clearance!
There is a $10 fee for this process. The athletic association pays for their coaches. If this is a hardship to you, please contact me. If you have a copy, please send it to the school office.
_____ Obtain Child Abuse Clearance – Act 151 – (copy included) Requires the returned Act 34 Clearance!
There is a $10 fee for this process. The athletic association pays for their coaches. If this is a hardship to you, please contact me. If you have a copy, please send it to the school office.
(Please continue on back!)
_____ Protecting God’s Children Workshop – This workshop on recognizing and reporting child abuse has
been offered since 8/2003 to parishes. The workshop is 2 ½ hours long and participants receive a
certificate. I just need a copy of the certificate on file. If you have one, please make me a copy. If you
need to attend a workshop, several will be listed in the upcoming weeks in my ‘News and Gentle
Reminders’ as well as in this letter. There will be morning/afternoon/evening workshops available in
the upcoming weeks for your convenience. Dates are included in this packet.
_____ Code of Pastoral Conduct – (copies available in school office) This booklet is for you to read and
review then complete the entire last page and send it to the school office. You will notice two identical last pages. Keep one for your files in case asked by another church for a copy. Your position is a ‘volunteer.’ I only need the completed last page returned to me.
One important point to note on the database is that it is important for you to mark/select Saint Bernard School as the “primary site.” If you do not pick the school as the “primary site” then I will not be able to input the data needed to “approve” you. Your primary site selection will need to input the essential dates and “approve” your status.
One concern that I have heard regarding the database is the time needed to input all information but is necessary to keep the children safe. Please do your best regarding this concern. Also, please remember that ONLY employees need to enter a social security number. The school/parish still pays a one time fee for all applicants of $7.00 and a yearly 50 cents fee to maintain all persons in our database.
Please note:
After you enter all information into the database, it is important to send items to me when completed. You can send any of the checked items above to the school office in an envelope marked “database information” as they are completed.
In order to help facilitate and keep accurate records of all the Charter requirements, I have asked Mrs. Mary Worden, to assist me with this huge project. Mrs. Worden will be assisting with making phone calls and establishing a separate file in my office for each database entry. The information you put into the online database is CONFIDENTIAL and only I have access to that information. Mrs. Worden will not have access to volunteer’s individual database entries but will be assisting me in the collection of and then keeping detailed records (dates, certificates) of the five criteria items listed above.
I thank you for your commitment, time and dedication to helping with the total education process by volunteering at Saint Bernard School. Your work and help is essential to our continued success and survival. I am aware that some of these mandates may be difficult in today’s complex and hectic world, and thank you in advance for your cooperation. I know that we all agree that there is nothing that we can do that is too much to keep all of our children – God’s children – safe.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you have any general questions or concerns, please use the following e-mail: schooldata@stbpgh.org This account will be checked regularly by Mrs. Worden and myself.
Thank You and God Bless+
Daniel J. Wagner
Saint Bernard Principal