Personal Character & Behavior

Good Moral Character Policy:
Students are required to adhere to the standards for behavior as outlined in the Messiah College Community Covenant, standards for academic integrity, and the Teacher Education Program's good moral character definition statement.  Behaviors which violate these standards will be grounds for rejection from the Teacher Education Program. Local schools depend on the Teacher Education Program to monitor Messiah College students who will work in school settings, so these records will be checked periodically.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education thoroughly reviews records of all misdemeanors or felonies which appear in a student's criminal history clearance. Certification applications may be approved or denied following this review. An appeal process is available in the case of an application denial. Each school district may exercise its discretion to deny employment to an individual due to a criminal history including a felony, misdemeanor, or summary offense. An applicant, then, could be approved for certification by the Department of Education but denied employment by a school district.

Character Clearances :
All applicants to the Teacher Education Program are required to provide the following criminal checks, current at the time of application. Certain school districts require updated clearances prior to allowing teacher education students to work in their classrooms.  If this is required by a district to which you are assigned, you will be notified and provided with details by the Teacher Education Program Office. 

Securing the character clearances is the responsibility of the student.
•  Act 34 - A report on any criminal record that one may have
•  Act 33/151 - A report on any history of child abuse crimes that one may have committed
•  FBI Clearance processed through the Cogent system