Mid-Atlantic Robotics takes the safety and well-being of every participant seriously and puts Safety and Youth Protection at the forefront of what we do. Event Safety is more than just Youth Protection clearances and Mid-Atlantic Robotics has developed comprehensive safety plans for all of our programs and volunteers.
All volunteers participating in the program, including event volunteers and team coaches/mentors are required to follow any applicable youth protection laws and regulations for the state that they reside in and within the state(s) in which they choose to compete in.
Clearances
Youth Protection within the FIRST® Mid-Atlantic (FMA) district is more comprehensive than the FIRST® Youth Protection Program (YPP) due to Pennsylvania’s Act 153 law. FIRST® YPP by itself does not provide compliance with PA Act 153 and additional clearances are required for anyone volunteering at events or coaching/mentoring a team that is competing within Pennsylvania. PA Act 153 clearances are now collected and managed directly with FIRST® .
FIRST® Youth Protection Program
Information on the FIRST® Youth Protection Program (YPP) can be found on their website.
All volunteers volunteering at a FIRST® Mid-Atlantic official event must have passed FIRST® Youth Protection Screening in order to be assigned as a volunteer at the event.
We strongly encourage all adult volunteers that work with a team to be listed on a team roster and complete the FIRST® Youth Protection Screening.
Pennsylvania Act 153
For those individuals (volunteers and coaches/mentors) participating at an event taking place in Pennsylvania and/or working with Pennsylvania based teams, adherence to PA Act 153 is required.
As an organization that has events that take place in Pennsylvania and teams that are from Pennsylvania, participants are required to comply with PA Act 153. Information on PA Act 153 can be found here. All adults 18+ that are participating in a PA Event as a mentor, coach or volunteer must be in compliance and provide the appropriate clearance documentation to FIRST® .
Pennsylvania Act 153
Volunteers
Volunteers at all PA Events will be required to have turned in the PA Act 153 clearances before they can volunteer at a PA event. Volunteers will be unable to be assigned to a role until their clearances have been submitted and entered in to the system by FIRST® .
Submit your clearances to FIRST® HERE!! It may take FIRST® up to 5 business days to process clearances. Clearances that expire during the season will need to be renewed and updated clearances provided prior to being able to be assigned, as we do not want clearances to expire mid-season.
FBI Fingerprints, PA Child Abuse, and PA Criminal Background Check clearances are valid for 5 years from the time they were obtained. The FIRST® system tracks how long a clearance will be valid for. However, they may not notify volunteers if updated clearances are needed. Volunteers should pay attention to their FIRST® profile to know when updated clearances are needed.
Please Note: Attending FMA District Championship Requires PA Act 153 Compliance and Documentation from All Teams
What Clearances Do I Need?
Use the flowchart below to help identify what clearances are required for PA Act 153 compliance.
If you already have a clearance check from your home state, that can be provided (as long as it is still valid) in place of acquiring a new clearance. For example: You are a teacher at a NJ School, and your school has your clearance, fingerprints, etc. on file. You would not need to obtain any additional clearances. Provided that all other coaches/mentors on your team also have their clearances on file with your school, you would be able to sign the Attestation form that FMA will provide.
Pennsylvania Clearances
Visit https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home, create an account, and request a clearance for volunteer purposes
Visit https://epatch.pa.gov/home and select New Volunteer Record Request
Visit https://www.identogo.com and use Access Code: 1KG6ZJ
Please Note: This clearance requires getting fingerprinted and costs $23.50
Out-of-State Clearances
Service Code: 2F1BJG
Contributor Case Number: PRR
Additional information can be found at https://www.nj.gov/njsp/criminal-history-records/chri-nj-res.shtml and navigate to the Personal Records Request section
Visit https://uenroll.identogo.com/workflows/2F1BJG, schedule an appointment, obtain your fingerprints and receive clearance.
Please Note: This clearance requires getting fingerprinted and costs $45.73
Service Code: 27RVGT
Additional information can be found at https://dsp.delaware.gov/obtaining-a-certified-criminal-history/
Visit https://uenroll.identogo.com/, schedule an appointment, obtain your fingerprints and receive clearance.
Please Note: This clearance requires getting fingerprinted and costs $72.00
How Do I Provide My Clearances?
Beginning in Fall of 2025, FIRST® now collects and maintains PA Act 153 clearances. Clearances must be provided to FIRST® electronically. Information on how to submit your clearances can be found on the FIRST® Youth Protection website.
For any questions regarding clearances, please contact our FMA Senior VC at [email protected].
I still have questions, who should I contact?
Volunteers can contact the FMA Senior Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] for further clarification.
Team Leads can contact their respective FMA Program Director for additional clarification regarding the requirements for teams attending an event in Pennsylvania.
- FLL: [email protected]
- FRC: [email protected]
Commonly Asked Questions
I’m still confused as to what clearances I need, where do I start?
Why is this required? I thought YPP runs all clearances?
FIRST‘s YPP uses a service called Verified Volunteers which runs all available online background checks for each state. Pennsylvania is one of the few states that require additional State Clearances . Verified Volunteers has no way of taking, processing or collecting your state level clearances. As such, there is now an additional step for PA Volunteers to provide their clearances to FIRST.
For the Out-of-State Affidavit, I do not know my home state requirements. Can you help?
For New Jersey and Delaware Residents: Visit the Out-of-State Clearances section of this page to view the necessary clearance requirements. Individuals will need to provide their Child Abuse History Clearance for their state of residence and the Form B Out of State Resident Affidavit.
Non-Mid-Atlantic Region Residents: Sorry, we did not study any states besides those in our territory. Please check your local state laws on the requirements for volunteering with youth.
How long are my clearances valid?
All clearances are valid for 60 months.
We will remind you of the expiration in advance of them expiring. (Because who wants to think about what they need to do 5 years from now?)
I have my Act 153 Clearances from last year, can I still use them?
Absolutely! Clearances are valid for 60 months and we will accept copies.
Once you have provided your clearances to FIRST, you do not need to provide updated clearances again until your current clearances expire, or your state of residence changes.
I have my Act 153 Clearances from another activity, can I use them?
Yes! FIRST will accept copies as long as they are still valid and have not expired.
I am a teacher in Pennsylvania and already have separate clearances. Can I use these?
I’m only volunteering at a New Jersey event, what do I need to do?
Nothing! This requirement is only for events in Pennsylvania. Your clearances are covered under FIRST‘s YPP.
However, if you plan to volunteer at a PA event in the future and you live in NJ, you should work to obtain your NJ Child Abuse Clearance and submit the Out of State Resident Affidavit.
I’m only volunteering as a mentor on my team, do I need to submit clearances to FIRST Mid-Atlantic?
Only teams that are not affiliated with a school or governing organization will need to have their coaches/mentors provide their clearances directly to FMA.
Teams affiliated with a school or governing organization will only be required to submit an attestation form that attests that all coaches and mentors of their team are in compliance.
I am volunteering for the food service line for a FRC event, do I need to submit clearances to FIRST Mid-Atlantic?
No. We only require clearances for official FRC positions. I.e., only if you will you receive a volunteer shirt or blue judge polo for volunteering.
You are under the jurisdiction of the host team as the food service is considered a team activity/fundraiser. However, you must comply to the clearance requirements of the host team.