(Revised May 29, 2024)

This note is regarding the National B.S.A. youth protection policy, which took effect September 1, 2023, requiring all adults staying overnight, in connection with a Scouting activity, to be currently registered as an adult volunteer or an adult program participant. For the Cub Scout program there is an overnight exception: Cub Scout parents or legal guardians taking part in an overnight Cub Scout activity, with their own child or legal ward, are not required to register as leaders.

The below explains the policy and the steps units need to follow in order to satisfy the new requirements. Also included is information on some additional safety items that units need to be aware of.

Some Background

As a result of the bankruptcy proceedings, the B.S.A. has adopted a number of changes in support of keeping our youth safe. Included are:

• Making sure all adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity are currently registered as an adult volunteer or an adult program participant. Adult volunteers must register in the position(s) they are serving in. Registration as a merit badge counselor position does not meet this requirement.
  
  Cub Scout parents or legal guardians taking part in an overnight Cub Scout activity, with their own child or legal ward, are not required to register as leaders. However:

  • All adults must review the “How to Protect your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide” that can be found in the front of each Cub Scout Handbook.

  • The parent or legal guardian must be accompanied by a registered leader at any time they are with youth members other than their own child/ward.

• Ensuring:

  • Drivers have had adequate sleep.

  • Drivers have the minimum auto insurance as required by the state where the driver is licensed.

  • That one or more leaders have the B.S.A. training required for the program being carried out.

  • That the unit has documented the nearest hospital or urgent care facility for the activity location.

The Details

This new policy requires all adults spending one or more nights on a troop, crew, ship, or post activity and all adults spending one or more nights on a pack activity, who are not the parent or guardian of a youth, to be registered in the B.S.A., have had a background check, and have an unexpired youth protection training certificate. To support this new national policy, the Chickasaw Council adopts the following policy and procedure:

Prior to a unit embarking on or beginning an overnight Scouting activity, the unit must report its plans for the activity to the Council registrar by filling out the applicable Overnight Activity Report. (UOAR. There is one for packs and another for troops, crews, ships, and posts.) If transportation is part of the activity then the form needs to be submitted prior to the unit departing.

Please note that the purpose of this report is not to seek permission from the Council nor for the Council to grant permission for any overnight activity. The report is just a capture of the activity to demonstrate compliance with youth protection and safety policies.

The report is accessible on the Resources page of our council’s website. This will take you to the Unit Overnight Activity Reporting Policy page. The report can be submitted in one of three ways:

1. Download the appropriate form below. Print it, complete it by hand, scan or photograph it and email it to janet.ross@scouting.org.

2. Download the appropriate form from below. Complete it (it is an editable PDF), save it, then email it to janet.ross@scouting.org.

3. Open the online form, fill it out and submit it.

To facilitate compliance, each month the Council registrar will randomly select 10% of the trip reports provided to validate the names against the list of registered adults in the B.S.A. Any unit found to be in violation of this policy will be notified via an ascending scale of communications:

• For the first instance in a calendar year, the unit Key 3 will be given a verbal warning.

• For the second instance, the unit Key 3 and the unit CEO will be given a written warning.

• For the third instance, the Council's Scout Executive/CEO will call a meeting with the Unit Key 3 and the CEO of the chartered organization to determine a plan for going forward that meets the policy.

Units that do not report an overnight activity will be followed up with to determine ways that we can help them execute a viable outdoor program. If it is determined that the lack of an overnight activity report was because the unit simply failed to file one, yet the activity occurred, that will be considered a violation of this policy.

The intent of this policy is for units to comply with the National youth protection policy and to identify reasonable safety steps that need to be complied with such as, but not limited to, sufficient sleep for safe driving, training to conduct certain types of programming, e.g., climbing, driver insurance, and the identification of a hospital or health care facility, nearest to the activity, in the event medical treatment is necessary.

In support of this process, the Council hereby adopts a document retention policy, specific to these Unit Overnight Activity Reports, such that they will be kept for two years and destroyed afterwards unless subject to a litigation hold.

A comparable process has been created for those overnight activities that allow individual registration.

This is effective immediately.

In closing, we ask for your support in this process so that we can validate that the youth protection and safety policies are being followed within your unit.

Yours in Scouting,

Brian D. Issing
Member of Council Executive Committee
Vice-president of Advancement

Danny Van Horn
Member of Council Executive Committee for Legal and Youth Protection