Required Hiring Documents

Steps to complete after you've accepted an offer at the School District of Philadelphia

To be eligible to work for The School District of Philadelphia, you must complete the below clearances and paperwork prior to your start date. We are able to accept clearances if they are less than one year old from the date a new employee presents them to the Employee Records department.

Please read the following information carefully as it will assist you in expediting the employment process.

Background Clearances Required for Hire

All incoming SDP Employees are responsible for completing the following prior to employment. We are able to accept any clearance or health physical if they are less than one year old from the date a new employee uploads them into their virtual onboarding process.

  1. Pennsylvania Criminal History Check (cost: $22)
    • Apply for your Criminal Record Check online at PATCH, using a credit or debit card for payment.
    • Your results are emailed to you; submit those results via your online Taleo onboarding.
  2. Child Abuse Clearance (cost: $13):
    • Apply online for your Child Abuse Clearance through the Child Welfare Portal. Results can take up to 21 days to receive.
    • Your results are emailed to you; submit those results via your online Taleo onboarding.
  3. FBI Fingerprint Clearance (cost: $25.25):
    • Pre-Enroll for your FBI Fingerprint Clearance on the IdentoGO website
    • Please select Department of Education as the agency.
    • Click on “Schedule or Manage an Appointment” and enter code 1KG6XN.
    • After pre-enrolling, schedule an appointment to be fingerprinted at an IdentoGO site. The School District is a fingerprint site and is available by appointment only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please contact your Recruiter to schedule an appointment.
    • Bring necessary identification and a form of payment to your fingerprint appointment. IdentoGO locations accept credit/debit cards or money orders made out to MorphTrust for $23.85. Please review this FAQ document for more information regarding fingerprinting.
    • The School District can view your results 48 hours after you are fingerprinted; submit your results via your online Taleo onboarding.
  4. Medical Form & TB Test (cost varies)
    • Download the health form here and take to your doctor or a health clinic to get your physical and TB test completed by a physician. The School District only accepts this form, and it must be completed by a physician.
    • Your physical and TB test must be less than one year old, and your TB test can be no more than three months older than your physical.
    • Submit your results via your online Taleo onboarding.
  5. Act 168 Sexual Misconduct/Abuse Disclosure Release
    1. Act 168 of 2014 requires all pre-hire candidates to complete the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Sexual Misconduct/Abuse Disclosure Release form for any employer(s) that meet specific criteria.
    2. Once you return a signed offer letter, you will receive an email with the subject “Pre-Hire Act 168 Submission” from philasd@act168.net.  You must complete employer information for Act 168 within 7 days of receiving this email in our online system using the link provided. You will need to provide name, addresses, and an email for your current employer and ALL former employer(s) that were school entities and/or where you had direct contact with children.

Paperwork Required for Hire

All incoming new hires are responsible for uploading documentation in their online Taleo onboarding or completing in person:

  1. Proof of High School Diploma or GED
    • Most non-professional level roles require a high school diploma, GED, or proof of completion of education through the 12th grade. You would need to bring a copy of your high school diploma, transcript, GED transcript, other higher education diploma to verify this proof.
    • If you graduated from a School District of Philadelphia school, you can request a high school transcript at https://philasd.scriborder.com/application
  2. Employment Eligibility Verification I-9
    • You must submit correct identification verification documents from page 3 of the document; most new bring either passport OR state-issued photo ID AND either Social Security Card OR Birth Certificate to their in-person I-9 review.
  3. Application General Information Form
  4. Employee Information Sheet (if you are being hired as a contractor, you would complete the Contractor Information Sheet)
  5. Direct Deposit Form
    • Complete the attached form and submit along with a voided check or direct deposit form from your bank in your online Taleo onboarding.
  6. W-4
  7. Workers Compensation Notification
  8. School District of Philadelphia Code of Ethics
  9. Emergency Contact Form
  10. Employee Acknowledgement Form

Optional documents: 

  1. Dependent Eligibility Documents (for benefits): Please review our benefits site for further information about documents you need to present for dependents you seek to have covered by the District health care plan (marriage certificate, birth certificate, Social Security Card, transcripts if dependents are in college)
  2. If you have military service experience, please bring your DD-214 form to your meeting.

Required New Hire Paperwork for Instructional Staff Only

Instructional and professional staff members also need to produce the following:

  1. Transcripts: If applicable for salary purposes, you must submit official sealed or official electronic transcripts documenting your Masters degree(s) for salary verification purposes, if applicable. If applicable for certification purposes, you may also need official sealed or official electronic transcripts documenting your Bachelor’s degree for emergency permits.
  2. Professional Certificate: Instructional staff must have their original professional certificate.
  3. Contract: You will complete either the Temporary Teacher Contract (if you are not tenured in the state of PA) or the Professional Teacher Contract (if you are tenured in the state of PA already) during your in-person I-9 verification/badge appointment
  4. Prior Experience Verification: If you have two or more years of experience in the instructional or professional position for which you are being hired, you may need to verify your prior experience for salary credit. Please review and take action on the items on our Salary Scale page outside of your online Taleo onboarding.

All extra-curricular Coaches must acquire the following and upload to your online Taleo onboarding (please speak to your Athletic Director for additional information):

  1. Proof of Sports Safety Certification
  2. Proof of CPR and First Aid Certification