G.T.C.C.V.O.

2016 PIAA Registry / Officials’ Directory
Many PIAA / WPIAL Schools and Athletic Directors are now using the PIAA’s Website / portal for Act 153 verification. In mid-January, Golden Triangle has over 2 dozen officials appearing on a list; that list is comprised of officials who have yet to send their required information to the PIAA website. You are risking not being assigned matches by your assigner. Please go to Officials Directory on the PIAA site and click on your name. There should be dates following all three clearances. If those dates are not three to five years into the future, you are most likely currently unavailable for assignments. You must follow through with this requirement; it is past due. Thank you!
drn / President / GTCCVO

ArbiterPay recently became aware of an effort to entice officials to register for a false ArbiterPay account. We want to arm you with information you can use to protect yourself from this type of scam. We also ask that you report suspicious activity of this nature to our support staff immediately.

You may receive an email that appears to come from your assigner. The email asks you to sign up for an ArbiterPay account on a website other than ArbiterPay.com. During the signup process, you will be asked to pay $18.50.

Please make sure that any email requesting that you create an ArbiterPay account actually came from your assigner. Signing up for an ArbiterPay account is free, and you can only sign up for a legitimate account at ArbiterPay.com.

If you have received communication that directed you to sign up for an ArbiterPay account and takes you to a site other than ArbiterPay.com, please notify us immediately by emailing [email protected]. We do not provide officials’ contact information to third parties, and this was an individual endeavor and not a system-wide security breach.

All current PIAA-registered officials who have not yet submitted to PIAA the certifications identified below are required to obtain and submit them to PIAA on or before January 1, 2016.  The failure to submit such certifications shall result in suspension of registration until the certifications are submitted.

What this means? 

• If not previously submitted, clearances for PIAA registered officials are required by January 1, 2016.  They are not required by law until this date.
• All registered officials are required to re-submit all three clearances every five years.
• Clearances for those officials that have registered in the last five years will remain in effect until their initial five year period expires.
• Clearances obtained by newly registered officials in the year prior to their test date may be used to satisfy the clearance requirement.
• There is no “grandfather clause” in this legislation.  ALL officials are required to obtain all three clearances and have them on file with PIAA by January 1, 2016.
• Clearances obtained through employment may be used to satisfy PIAA clearance requirements.  However, clearances obtained as a volunteer may not be used to satisfy PIAA clearance requirements.

There are three clearances that are required by PA State Law.  Each can be accessed at the links below:

1. FBI clearance – https://pa-aps.3m.com/perlpub/registration_edu_pci.pl
   (This is the Cogent site required to be used by Department of Education – this clearance must be done online)
   Click here for the Cogent Fingerprint site locations

    In completing the FBI clearance, there is an area that requests “reasons” – the answer is school districts.

    Approximately 4 weeks after getting fingerprinted, you will receive your Cogent results in the mail.  These are the documents (both front and back sides) that will need to be uploaded to the PIAA website.

   Click HERE for a list of locations where you can have the fingerprinting part of the process done.

2. PA State Police clearance – https://epatch.state.pa.us

        In completing the PA State Police clearance, the “reason” is employment.

 3.   Department of Human Services clearance (PA Child Abuse) –    https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home

      **Once at this site create an individual account**

       In completing the Child Abuse History clearance, under the application purpose, check the box titled, “School Employee Governed by Public School  Code”.

**The PA State Police clearance and the Department of Human Services clearance can be printed and mailed to those depts.  

Click here for the printer version of the PA State Police clearance.

Click here for the printer version of the Department of Human Services clearance.

Additional information: 

• PIAA registered officials are not considered “volunteers.”  Do not click on any of the boxes that reference volunteers.  Officials are independent contractors employed by the individual schools and school districts.  In addition, the Affidavit-Exemption from FBI Clearance form is not acceptable for PIAA registered officials.  All officials must be fingerprinted every five years.
• Expenses for obtaining clearances shall be borne by the registered sports official.  PIAA is not permitted to accept certifications which were obtained for volunteering purposes under Section 6344.2 (relating to volunteers having contact with children).
• Keep the originals of your clearances and hold on to copies in the event a particular school wants to view your clearances.
• Upon receiving copies of your clearances, you will need to scan them and save them as PDFs on your computer.  Please refer to “Instructions for Officials to enter their clearances into the Officials database”.

GTCCVO Members:  Happy New Year and Best of Health in 2016!  The Board has set the chapter meeting dates for the year.  All 13 dates are listed on the GTCCVO Arbiter site “My Group” home page.  You will see them when you log on.  Again, all but two of the meetings are on Sunday, at the Sokol Club on Carson Street on the South Side and begin at 7:15 p.m.  Please be sure to make the first meeting on February 21st to confirm your refereeing status for the spring.  Remember to maintain your refereeing certification with the PIAA, you are required to attend a State Rules Meeting PLUS 6 chapter meetings during the year.

Now that the fall volleyball season is over, most of us can put away our uniforms, clean our shoes one more time, secure our whistles and ‘cards” and reflect on a successful season of great officiating provided by this Chapter.
It is common that at any one of our meetings, we are reminded about our shortcomings, erroneous actions or missed calls.  Chapter members need to be recognized for the “excellent” officiating and extra efforts they have put in for the sport of volleyball and the high school and middle school athletes.  The few and far between officiating mishaps are far outscored by the near perfect matches we work.  District 7 & 8 coaches, and their athletic directors and administrative staff let out a large breath of relief and pleasure when they see our Golden Triangle Chapter members walk in to officiate their match that afternoon or evening.  They understand and know they are going to have their athletic contest officiated in a fair, professional and highly effective level.  I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for the work that you have done, for your efforts to continue the proud name of this Chapter.  I am proud to be an officer of Golden Triangle!

Two of our officials were selected to be the 1st and 2nd referee on the PIAA class AA volleyball championship match at Richland High School in late November.  I was invited to accompany them as a spectator.  In being as “neutral” as possible, I watched all three PIAA championship matches:  “A”, “AA” and “AAA”.  All matches were officiated well, but from the view of a senior referee who served as an Evaluator at previous PIAA matches, the officating at the AA championship match should have been taped by the PIAA and sent out to each officiating chapter for training purposes.  Mechanics, interpretations, match control, interaction with the officiating team and coaches/players was exemplary.   A+ to our group.  I heard comments in the crowd of spectators – “They must be Golden Triangle officials!”  That says it all.

Our Board met in late November and has set the meeting dates for next calander year.  Once these dates have been cleared with the Sokol Club, we will post them for your review.  Financially, we are more than solvent and it is strongly anticipated that dues will again see no raise in the coming year.  The Evalulation Committee is off and runnning and you will be receiving more information on their progress soon.  Finally, I reported to the Board that two more District 7 schools;  Baldwin and Fox Chapel, will be paying officials through Arbiterpay/refpay next year so it is imperative that if you want to work those schools, you must register for refpay or you will not be assigned or compensated.  Last but not least, have a safe and happy Christmas holidays.  A few of our members visited Rich Tatrn, who is in St. Margaret’s Hospital in Aspinwall.  He is coming along slowly, but positively and is hoping to return home on or after 12-9-15.  Keep him in your prayers and drop him a line – I’m sure he will be delighted.  Again – a BIG thanks from myself and the Board for your work this past year.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It’s nearly impossible to learn about Christa Harmotto Dietzen the professional athlete, Olympian and FIVB World Championship team captain before understanding Harmotto the person.

Read Audrey Snyder’s Article in the Post-Gazette HERE.

One of the area’s most talented, compassionate and inspirational volleyball coaches is retiring.

Good Luck, Ellen!   Click the link to read the entire article in the Trib.