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Q&A: Requiring adult involvement, can Scouts go soaring?

questionmark_200This week, a couple questions from readers:

Requiring parents to register

Can a troop require that parents of Scouts register as adult members? Our troop insists that one parent of each Scout register as an assistant Scoutmaster or a troop committee member, and charges the adult registration fee as part of the Scout’s registration.

The BSA doesn’t really rule on this one way or the other, but leaves it up to the units to determine the need for adult leadership beyond the minimum requirements: Continue reading “Q&A: Requiring adult involvement, can Scouts go soaring?”

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Q&A: More on SSNs, counselor ID numbers

questionmark_200Time now for a couple more questions from readers.

Social Security numbers in troop records

From a troop committee chair:

Troopmaster has a place in the adult records for a leader’s social security number. Should we be recording the SSNs of our adults? It seems to me like that’s private information.

A unit has no reason to retain Social Security numbers of its adult members. It has no use for them, and in fact it can be a liability to the unit when stored in a database such as Troopmaster, which can typically be accessed by multiple persons in the unit. This is why the SSN field is blacked out on the unit copy of the application form – units are expected not to file that bit of info away. Continue reading “Q&A: More on SSNs, counselor ID numbers”

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Q&A: Why recharter in December; extending youth registration

questionmark_200Time for answers to a couple more of your questions.

Why do we recharter in December?

Fall is the time that we recruit for Cub Scouting. Many troops and crews recruit new members in the fall as well. So with all these applications coming in, and with our packs renewing their members for the coming Scouting year, I have been asked why we don’t just renew our charters in September and get it over with, rather than having to go through the roster audit process a few months later.

As a practical matter, that may seem to make sense. Continue reading “Q&A: Why recharter in December; extending youth registration”

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Q&A: SSNs, background checks, merit badge counselors

ssn_mag_200Time for a few more answers to your questions, this time about Social Security numbers on adult applications, the criminal background check and how to become a merit badge counselor.

I don’t like giving out my Social Security number. Why is it required on an adult application?

An adult applicant’s Social Security number is required on the adult application form in order for the National Council to conduct a criminal background check. This is done on every volunteer who applies for membership in the BSA. Continue reading “Q&A: SSNs, background checks, merit badge counselors”