New state policies stopped haunted attraction from using minor volunteers

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters.

By Ann Rejrat
For Spotlight PA

Field of Screams, the popular haunted house in central Pennsylvania, did not allow minors to volunteer for the company at a recent event due to new state safety requirements, according to a company post to staff. The changes in state policy were put in place after a 2025 Spotlight PA investigation.

The Department of Labor and Industry announced in March 2026 that all haunted attractions in Pennsylvania need a state-approved safety plan before they could use minors in performance roles. The agency held a webinar in April to go over the change with companies, said Danielle Woods, the department’s press secretary.

Attractions were told that as of May 1, failure to meet the requirement will result in performance permits for minors being denied, Woods told Spotlight PA. The companies must submit the permits for every minor they intend to use in any performances, and the state must sign off.

Field of Screams’ decision to not use minor volunteers for its “Halfway to Halloween” event on May 2 was “strictly related to the timing of the new requirements,” according to the post.

The changes come after a 2025 Spotlight PA investigation found that current and former volunteers, including minors, described dangerous situations at Field of Screams over the past decade.

They alleged there were sexual relationships between teenagers and adults, that workers were groped by customers, and that volunteers experienced respiratory issues and injuries due to workplace conditions. They also said the company pressured teenage volunteers to work long hours on school nights and to stay for shifts exceeding state rules.

Similar allegations were reported by news outlets and on social media in 2020.

The Department of Labor and Industry visited Field of Screams in September and October of 2025 and found no violations of the Child Labor Act, Woods wrote in an email to Spotlight PA.

Woods noted that state law does not require the department to make regular inspections of haunted houses. But the agency does perform unannounced site visits, she said.

In a statement to Spotlight PA, Field of Screams said it remains “fully committed to complying with and exceeding all applicable local, state, and federal requirements.”

“While these new regulations were implemented shortly before this event, Field of Screams has a long-standing track record of adapting quickly and responsibly, and we will continue that standard when we reopen for the fall season,” the company added.

New rules

For years, Field of Screams has relied on adult and minor volunteers to staff its various attractions, using federal and state exemptions for seasonal and recreational establishments. These volunteers aren’t protected by most labor laws that empower regulators to inspect businesses and issue penalties for violations.

Field of Screams does, however, have to obtain permits from the state for each volunteer under the age of 18 that it uses, and must certify that it won’t put minors in danger or force them to volunteer for an amount of time beyond what’s allowed under Pennsylvania law.

The 2025 Spotlight PA investigation found the company used minor volunteers for nearly a decade without applying for the required permits.

Previously, Field of Screams required parents and children to sign waivers detailing possible risks and dangers minors could be exposed to while volunteering, including physical, psychological, and emotional injuries; pain, suffering, illness, permanent disability, paralysis, and death. The waiver also informs parents, “There may be periods of time that your child is not directly supervised.”

The company didn’t formally apply for the permits — which the state calls “minor in performance” permits — until 2021.

Since the changes to state rules, haunted attractions must submit safety plans 20 days before applying to use minors, according to the Department of Labor’s website. The plans are good for one year and attractions resubmit them annually, Woods said.

The state requires that these plans include a comprehensive background check for all adult staff — whether employees or volunteers — who interact with minors. The background checks must identify all convictions involving minor victims and misdemeanor or felony sex offenses.

According to the agency’s website, the department is allowing the attractions to choose how to perform the background checks. This can include third-party vendors as long as the checks identify the offenses the agency lists involving minors and sex offenses.

The 2025 Spotlight PA investigation found Field of Screams allowed a man convicted of exposing himself to children to volunteer alongside minors for three years. The company said in a statement to the newsroom that it found out about Christopher Rohrbaugh’s conviction in 2023 and allowed him to continue volunteering because they received no complaints against him and “he had no criminal convictions of any kind since 2011.”

The agency will also accept the clearances listed in the Child Protective Services Law. The clearances involve a three-step process that includes a PA Child Abuse History Certification through the Department of Human Services, a PA State Police Criminal History Record Check, and a FBI fingerprint-based criminal background check.

Safety plans must also include a description of a training program on the prevention of sexual abuse and harrassment in the workplace for all staff who interact with minors; training on general workplace safety including hazards and handling any misbehavior from guests or patrons; identification of risks or hazards; and reporting mechanisms and enforcement protocals.

Woods told Spotlight PA that Field of Screams had not submitted a safety plan as of May 2 but said the company told the department no minors would be performing at the weekend’s event.

BEFORE YOU GO… If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.