InquisitiveScouter

Yeah, we are able to train them and put them into combat, but the 18-year-old (legal adult) cannot have a personal conversation at Starbucks with their Crew Adviser without another registered adult present? No logic or sanity in that thinking at all... That is one of those "rules" where conscience, principle, and ethics dictate ignoring the rule and doing the right thing. I support you 100% @qwazse And even if reclassified, I'll still ignore it 😜

Please let us know how this turns out.

Now that is just plain stupid... Supposing those were assistant Scoutmasters for a Troop. They are not over 21, nor are they "adult program participants." So, it's ok to meet with them. But, the second one of them let's you know they have registered with a Venturing crew, you are a YPT criminal!! LOL Oh, the humanity 😛

@scoutldrI revived this one because the other thread is about the SAFE checklist versus insurance. Have you ever, in your BSA life, seen a copy of the policy?? I haven't. Haven't asked for one either

I honestly don't know. I believe that if BSA did not cover some volunteers, and word got out, there could be a mass exodus of adult volunteers. I believe this is a great fear they have. So, in many cases, they choose to settle it under insurance, and maybe pay a little higher premium, than have the program collapse for lack of adults. But, legally, if you were not following the G2SS, I could see where the insurance company and BSA could say, "You are on your own..."

I follow it religiously, to protect Scouts and Scouters, and to protect my family assets and security (in that order).

You still can, but it will only cover your co-pays. And that is Accident and Sickness coverage... that's a different policy than General Liability. Also, did you know?? If you kick the bucket (heart failure) within 90 days of participating in a BSA event, your survivors can claim a $10K benefit? *Includes loss of life resulting from Heart Failure within 90 days from the date participating in an approved Boy Scouts or Learning for Life (if purchased) activity: ———————————– ■ Life* $10,000 Your council plan might vary... HSR Brochure.pdf

Did they pay just to make this go away, and not tarnish the image of BSA?? And maybe the offending driver had nothing really for anyone to go after, so the lawyers went for the deepest pockets and hoped for this settlement regime... again, just to make it go away... Guessing and smh...

Agreed, and there is a difference between negligence and willful (or criminal) conduct.

@RichardB, can you shed any light on BSA actions in other instances (without too many specifics, obviously)?? I could see where, if unit supervision allowed Scouts to play Vertical Dodgeball, climb up 20 feet in some trees (tree climbing and Dodgeball being prohibited activities), and one fell to his death, that they could deny coverage and allow civil suits against the adults to proceed without any support. Anyone have any light to shed on this??

Although I concur with the practice of checking for this, could you please point out in the literature where it says a unit is required to do this? There is a SAFE checklist to help with this... https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-696(21)-SAFE-Transportation-Checklist-FPO3-5172021.pdf But, other than you, who else is actually running this checklist?

Recommend you read up on that case. She was not driving at the time, and was also found 20% culpable in the incident, which reduced the damages awarded. https://www.caoc.org/?pg=facts

A forthright and mature discussion or clarification about behavior, risk, and consequences is always appropriate. I had these many times with troops at my Commander's Calls. Funny, how we had less disciplinary actions than other units in the command... Of course, a very different situation, as I had many other disciplinary tools at my disposal (UCMJ, pay, leave, promotions, assignments, deployments, etc.), but there are some similarities in principles...

Scouter Code of Conduct: "When transporting youth, I will obey all laws, comply with Youth Protection guidelines, and follow safe driving practices." Maybe another reason BSA wants all adults to be registered... Remember old Tour Permits, where you had to record valid driver's license and insurance info?? https://www.boyscouttrail.com/docs/formlocaltourpermit.pdf

Here's the real question: What happens to a BSA volunteer, if they act out of accordance with BSA guidelines??? Doesn't the policy cover those cases? Read the verbiage from G2SS: "This coverage provides primary general liability coverage for registered adults of the Boy Scouts of America who serve in a volunteer or professional capacity concerning claims arising out of an official Scouting activity, which is defined in the insurance policy as consistent with the values, Charter and Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, operations manuals, and applicable literature of the Boy Scouts of Ame

Reviving this old post, if you don't mind 😜 Can anyone out there tell me what BSA General Liability Insurance provides for you that a personal umbrella policy does not? And vice versa? https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss10/ https://content.naic.org/article/whats-umbrella-policy -------------------------------------------------------- Comprehensive General Liability Insurance This coverage provides primary general liability coverage for registered adults of the Boy Scouts of America who serve in a volunteer or professional capacity concerning claims

It's not that they are not approved... It's that those positions are not part of the "adult fee required position(s)" That is, you must be registered in some other position before you can be a Chapter or Lodge Adviser, insofar as I understand this... As @HashTagScouts alludes, they must first be in a District (or unit or council) fee paid position, before they can wear the additional hat of Adviser.

Fr. John, Agreed, but BSA is literally keeping their volunteers in the dark as to their own risk. Could this be on purpose? Instead of "If you ignore our recommendation from the Guide to Safe Scouting, you open yourself to financial ruin through lawsuits!" ... I'd turn it to the positive side: Hey volunteers, we carry liability insurance to protect your Scouting activities! That, along with the federal law puts a strong team in your corner should an accident occur. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title42/chapter139&edition=prelim You can help kee

"... BSA has liability insurance to protect its volunteers, but compliance with BSA safety guidelines is required for that insurance to be available." (2:30 in the video) I really think BSA should clearly elaborate on what this means for volunteers who are not in compliance with BSA safety guidelines. And the video ought to be redone for a myriad of reasons, but one of the biggest is at the end... Way to go shooting a safety video, and then putting that final scene in... "Appropriate personal protective equipment is required for all activities. This includes the recommended

The question was directed at @swilliams LOL, yes, DVOA is the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association. (context? no orangutans mentioned... orienteering was the subject answered... Google DVOA and orienteering and voila...) https://www.dvoa.org/ They create orienteering maps for many state parks and public areas around the Delaware Valley. They also sponsor orienteering events in the area. Although I have never met anyone from DVOA, we have used their products extensively. So, @swilliams, if you are a DVOA member, THANK YOU! Here is a sampling of some of their pub

Aren't those old geezers handsome! https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2023/02/15/scouters-in-action-they-saved-the-drowning-man-from-the-rip-current/

Go to the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search page at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ Enter the criteria you want for a search. If you know the EIN, that is easiest, as all councils do not use the same naming convention, so the search may not return good results by name. (Tidewater's EIN is 54-0505875 ) Charity Navigator has a better search engine, IMO https://www.charitynavigator.org/ P.S. Tidewater also has a separate Trust Fund, EIN 54-1707488 Fair warning, the more you know and share, the greater you become PNG to your council

You a member of DVOA??

Agreed, but having the job be more competitive, by allowing an "outsider" to be considered for the job could only expand our pool of talent.

I know a wonderful woman in our area who absolutely loves Scouting. She has four kids in the program right now. She is from the area and is well connected in many circles in our community. She knows what Scouting has done for our community, and knows many of the volunteers who live here (and who also have been involved with Scouting for a billion years). She has been on the board of three other local 501C3's in our community who have had a significant impact in environmental and heritage preservation, wild animal rehabilitation and community education (about the animals), and a women's shel