1. Is the BSA doing credit checks on volunteers?

No. The BSA will only use these signed authorization forms for approval to obtain a criminal background check. State and federal laws regulating background checks and consumer credit checks require that both items be mentioned on the form since a full background check includes both parts. Again, the BSA is only using this form for authorization to obtain a criminal background check.

2. Why is this being done now?

Starting in 2020, rechecks will be performed every five years, but it will take several years to recheck all leaders. Unfortunately, technical limitations and changes in the law over the last five years prevent us from using existing authorizations from older applications. As such, new disclosure had to be sent and new signed authorization forms obtained. Rechartering provides the best window to collect and verify they have been received before the council processes the recharter application.

3. What about volunteers that are not registered with units?

All currently registered adults and employees who have not had a criminal background check in the last five years will be rechecked. Council registrars will individually track district and council registered employees and leaders. (That should also include merit badge counselors). Those registered only at the National Council level will receive instructions on where to submit their authorization forms.

4. What about those who did not get the forms by e-mail?

Scout executives were provided with advance instructions on how to ensure every volunteer receives this information. They have the forms, which should be printed and passed out at roundtables or other meetings. It is important that each volunteer receives both the disclosure form as well as the authorization form. However, only the authorization must be turned in with the charter renewal form for units. District and council volunteers should submit the authorization to the council service center unless the council issues other instructions.

5. What about those with multiple registrations?

Only one authorization form per person needs to be collected and retained by the council.

6. What happens if a unit leader does not provide an authorization?

Leaders who do not provide new authorization will not be able to renew their registration. Council registrars should be instructed not to renew any adult without first confirming that a new signed authorization form is on file at the council service center.

7. Why can’t the volunteer just reply to the original e-mail and attach their signed authorization form?

The best way for us to ensure compliance is to require that the council registrar verify that a signed authorization form is physically in hand before processing a unit’s recharter. This removes much of the potential error and associated penalties that could result from other methods. We recommend that the registrar retains background check authorizations forms in a separate straight alphabetical file separate from your current background authorization file. This will facilitate the process of ensuring that a current form is on file at the council service center before posting their registration.

8. Are there different forms for different states?

Federal and state laws prescribe what must be in the disclosures and how they are to be provided. A form compliant with federal and various state laws was sent to all volunteer leaders except those in California. Leaders with a California home address or whose council territory includes California received California-specific forms due to the specific requirements of California law.

9. Can the council accept a faxed copy or scanned copy sent via email of the signed authorization?

Yes, so long as it is legible and is sent by the individual who signed it. It must be printed and saved the same as an original.

10. Can the council accept an electronic signature?

Digital signatures from third-party providers are acceptable. They must be printed and stored the same as the original. E-mail confirmations, permissions or typed names on the form are not acceptable substitutes for wet signatures.

11. What about unit renewals that have already been processed or will not recharter until after January 1?

For unit renewals that have already been posted because the unit renewal date was prior to the email notification or the unit renewal date is after January 1, authorization forms still need to be collected as soon as possible. All new authorization forms should be received by December 31, 2019.

12. Can the council require the forms be collected at the unit level and not sent to the council service center?

Yes. The council can require the forms be collected at the unit level or by a designated unit representative.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is committed first and foremost to keeping youth safe. Part of that commitment includes continually updating our youth protection policies to help ensure we are always on the forefront of youth safety.

As you know, one of the BSA’s many barriers to abuse is a mandatory criminal background check during the adult volunteer application process. The BSA will now also perform periodic rechecks of criminal backgrounds to support the continued safety of youth in our programs.

Please complete the process listed below at your earliest availability to help us continue to provide the safest environment possible for our Scouts and leaders. Please note that these steps must be completed before your 2020 annual registration can be processed.

1. Review the separate disclosure document linked below that is being provided to you separately for your review. It is titled “Background Check Disclosure.”

2. Once you have reviewed that, print the separate document titled “Additional Disclosures & Background Check Authorization.” Review the additional disclosures on that form, then complete and sign the Authorization using an ink/wet signature. Note: A print signature is required for this document. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.

3. Turn in the signed “Additional Disclosures & Background Check Authorization” form promptly to your unit leader or local council service center.

If you choose to decline the background check, or if you do not complete the Additional Disclosures & Background Check Authorization form and return it to your unit leader or local council service center, your 2020 annual registration will not be processed. We are truly grateful for your continued commitment to keeping youth safe and for helping them learn, grow, and thrive through Scouting programs.

Forms:

Additional_Disclosures__Background_Check_Authorization_NOT_CALIFORNIA_1.pdf

Background_Check_Disclosure__1_1.pdf

FAQs: 

Background Checks FAQs

 Resources to make Cub Scout leaders stand up and do a cheer

NATIONAL RESOURCES: 

BSA’s national cub scout staff have put together some fun activity videos that can be useful Cub Scout recruiting tools.  The YouTube videos are short, 2 to 5 minutes, with a purpose and an activity.  Activities are all requirements found in our program.  They are not branded as BSA or Cub Scouts.  click here to find links and more information

An awesome array of resources for Cub Scout leaders is designed to help you welcome new families to your pack, learn more about the Cub Scout program and recruit new leaders.

Regularly refreshing resources is just one way the BSA has your back as you deliver an amazing program to your Cub Scouts.

 

Creating a New Scout Unit

Not every community, church, school, or organization has a Scouting pack, troop, or crew associated with it. Sometimes, starting a new group is the best way to bring Scouting to your community. With a willing group of volunteers and interested youth, it’s easy to get Scouting started near you.

How Scouting Units are Organized

Every Scouting unit requires adult leaders, youth, and a chartering organization. First the chartering organization agrees to adopt the Scouting program. Then you must recruit and train the leaders. Once you have trained leaders ready to start, recruit the youth. From there you can plan your program year, complete the paperwork, and hold your first meeting.

What is a Chartering Organization?

A chartering organization, such as a church, school, concerned citizen’s group, agrees to work with the specific pack, troop, or crew. They’ll provide meeting space, help find and approve adult leaders, and appoint an individual as the Chartered Organization Representative. This representative works as a liaison between the organization and the Scout group.

Any organization can be a chartering organization and there are no special qualifications. The chartering organization falls under the insurance of the Boy Scouts of America.

How Many Youth are Needed?

A minimum of 5 youth is required to start a new unit. the most successful units start with at least 10 youth.

What Leaders are Needed?

There are different leader requirements for different types of Scouting units. All units must have a Chartered Organization Representative. If a single organization sponsors more than one unit (like a Pack and a Troop), that representative must be the same person for both units.

For a Pack you need:

• Cubmaster (plan and lead the monthly pack meeting, keeping the kids and families engaged and excited)
• Committee Chair (lead behind the scenes administrative tasks and support efforts to run the pack)
• Chartered Organization Representative (act as a liaison between the pack and chartering organization)
• Two Committee Members (work with the committee chair to run the pack in roles like treasurer or secretary)
• Den Leader (plan and lead the den meetings for one age group, helping the Scouts earn advancements)

Not required but recommended: Assistant Cubmaster(s), Assistant Den Leader(s), additional committee members

For a Troop you need:

• Scoutmaster (support and guide the youth leadership as they plan and lead the troop meetings)
• Committee Chair (lead behind the scenes administrative tasks and support efforts to run the troop)
• Chartered Organization Representative (act as a liaison between the troop and chartering organization)
• Two Committee Members (work with the committee chair to run the troop in roles like treasurer or secretary)

Not required but recommended: Assistant Scoutmaster(s), additional committee members

For a Crew you need:

• Advisor (support and guide the youth leadership as they plan and lead the crew meetings)
• Committee Chair (lead behind the scenes administrative tasks and support efforts to run the crew)
• Chartered Organization Representative (act as a liaison between the crew and chartering organization)
• Two Committee Members (work with the committee chair to run the crew in roles like treasurer or secretary)

Not required but recommended: Assistant Scoutmaster(s), additional committee members

 **NEW** BSA Parents

We all know how truly amazing our Scouting parents are. They go above and beyond, and they constantly ask what they can do and how they can help.

In many ways, they are our best asset to help demonstrate the value of the Boy Scouts of America and to talk about what this great organization means to American communities.

So, we want to make you all aware of a newly-formed group called “BSA Parents” that is forming and will launch on digital and social media this week.

The group was formed by and is run by parents of Scouts. The group came together so parents can use the Internet and social media to talk about what Scouting means to them. As I’m sure you can imagine, this is powerful stuff – I’m excited to share their launch video and site here https://www.bsaparents.com and on social media (please see bottom of this email).

I also want to let you know that while BSA helped with some seed funding to get them off the ground, this is an independent organization. They are not affiliated with BSA and they formed to help parents tell their stories. It has no dues, it offers no programs, and is not competitive in any way with our Councils. Their mission and stories are ones we want to support!

We are excited to see so many people taking up the message of Scouting. I am writing today with the hope that you will share this site and these videos with parents in your area. More people need to see and hear from the parents who are so involved with – and so passionate about – Scouting. The BSA’s character building programs are essential for our youth and we are excited for parents to help propel that message forward.

BSA Parents on social media:
Twitter: @BSAparents
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BSAparents
youtube: www.youtube.com/BSAParents
Instagram: @bsaparents

***Important Changes to Membership Card

and

Charter Certificate Printing Requirements*** 

The BSA is committed to streamlining basic operations by putting tools in the hands of volunteers. For several years now, individuals and unit key 3 have had access to print membership cards through my.Scouting. In addition, functionality will be added to my.Scouting by January 1, 2019, to enable members of the unit key 3 to print their unit Charter Certificate.

This “self-service” functionality allows volunteers to print membership cards and the unit charter certificate in a timely manner and enhances the onboarding experience for new youth and adults.

Effective January 1, 2019, councils will no longer be required to print and mail membership cards to council and district volunteers and traditional Scouting units. This is a change to the council membership validation requirement. In addition, councils will no longer print and deliver unit charter certificates.

For Learning for Life groups, Exploring Posts and Clubs, as of January 1, 2019, this will no longer be a membership validation requirement.

Units should be prepared to print their unit membership cards and charter certificate for the current renewal period.

For those who have difficulty in printing membership cards and charter certificates, please contact the Midnight Sun Council Office at 907-452-1976 and we will assist you.

Prorated Fee for Transfers to Extended Registration and Subscriptions

An annual registration fee is required for all youth and adults who are members of the Boy Scouts of America. Most councils have a common expiration date for all units, so when a BSA member transfers from one unit to another, no additional registration fee is required. In some cases, a BSA member may transfer their primary registration to a unit or non-unit position with an expiration that exceeds their current expiration date, for instance when a new unit registers with a long-term charter. When this occurs, a portion of an individual’s annual registration goes unpaid and there is a lapse in Boys’ Life and Scouting magazine subscriptions service, which ends at the time of the individual’s original expiration date. This results in a loss of revenue to the BSA and dissatisfied Scouts and Scouters when magazine subscriptions unexpectedly stop. To resolve these issues, BSA is changing the current business practice and will begin collecting prorated registration fees from individuals that transfer to a unit or non-unit position that expires later than their current registration.

For example, a Scout that transfers from a unit that expires 11/30/2019 to a unit that expires 6/30/2020 will need to pay $19.25 to extend their registration for 7 months and an additional $7.00 to extend Boys’ Life if they have a current subscription.

It is important to remember that only paid registrations (a transferred registration is considered a paid registration) are included in membership totals. Multiple registrations are not included.

This business practice is changing in 2019, and it will take time to update the BSA registration system. We anticipate this change to be effective mid-to-late summer but are announcing this change now so councils can begin communicating this change to council and district volunteers and unit leaders. You will receive a follow- up communication when the exact effective date is determined.

Thanks for your patience and flexibility as we implement important changes for the organization

The Midnight Sun Council Announces first Scouts BSA Troop for Girls

The Midnight Sun Council, BSA is proud to announce the first Scouts BSA Troop for girls is up and running!

Troop 84, Chartered to the North Star Volunteer Fire Department in North Pole, has been formed with 5 young ladies looking for the excitement that Scouting brings.

It’ll work closely with Troop 42, also chartered to the fire department, as they enter this new and exciting world of adventure and leadership training. Troop 84 is recruiting more new members. Members need to be 11 through 17 years old.

To join or for more information, please contact the Scout Office at 452-1976.

The new tool to quickly input advancement data, Internet Advancement 2.0 (previously known as Scoutbook Lite) is now live.

This free solution replaces the previous Internet Advancement platform, which will be retired (for all programs except Exploring) on June 10, 2019.

Internet Advancement 2.0 will feature a clean, new user interface and will be optimized to whatever device you use: desktop, tablet or smartphone.

Internet Advancement 2.0 will offer optimized functions for everything found in the current Internet Advancement platform and can be accessed by Unit Key 3 users, Unit Key 3 delegate users and Unit Advancement Chairs.

End users will access Internet Advancement 2.0 via one of the following locations using their my.Scouting credentials:

Scoutbook.scouting.org

From the Legacy Tools menu in my.Scouting.org

A link in Scoutbook.com

From the current Internet Advancement Platform

After initial release, the BSA IT team will continue to add additional features on a regular basis. Updates and new features will be communicated with the field as they are delivered.

Visit
http://help.scoutbook.com for answers to commonly asked questions.