What type of clearance is required for government employees to access sensitive personal information?

Government employees are required to obtain security clearance to access sensitive personal information. This process is essential as it ensures that individuals who have access to sensitive and classified information can be trusted not to disclose that information irresponsibly or maliciously. Security clearances come in different levels, such as confidential, secret, and top secret, and they are determined based on the level of access necessary for the employee's job responsibilities.

The security clearance process includes a thorough background check that evaluates the individual’s criminal history, financial stability, and other factors that could affect their reliability, trustworthiness, and loyalty to the government. This establishes a framework to protect sensitive personal information by ensuring that only vetted and trusted individuals can access it.

Other options, such as school clearance, public trust clearance, or special access clearance, do not adequately address the comprehensive vetting process required for someone to handle sensitive personal information within a government context. School clearance generally pertains to educational settings, public trust clearance relates to positions that require a level of trust but may not involve classified information directly, and special access clearance is typically for specific projects rather than broad access to sensitive information.