Volunteer Affirmation Form
A Volunteer Affirmation Form is a signed statement that lets an unpaid volunteer with long-term Pennsylvania residency skip the FBI fingerprint check, by swearing to that residency and to having no disqualifying convictions.
In Phoenixville
This is the shortcut most people don't know about, and it saves you both the fee and the fingerprint appointment. In the words of Phoenixville Area School District's volunteer FAQ: "If you have lived in Pennsylvania for 10 years or more, you may complete a Volunteer Affirmation Form, in which you swear to your PA residency for the last 10 years and that you have not been convicted of the offenses listed on the form." The same FAQ prices the FBI check it replaces at $22.60. Two exceptions the district names: coaches and overnight chaperones need the FBI clearance regardless of how long they've lived here.