06 Mar 2017 About Troop 19 Chartered by American Legion Post 208, Waxhaw, NC Troop meetings are held at Cuthbertson Middle School, Thursday nights from 6:30pm-8:00pm according to the UCPS calendar. A separate summer location is announced before the summer break. Meetings are not held when school is closed (Holiday, workdays or weather closings) except during the summer when we meet at an alternate location. In addition to regular Troop meetings, we normally go on one outing per month (campout, hike, day trip, etc.) Advancement Scouts will advance at their own pace. A Troop Guide is appointed from among the senior Scouts to serve as a coach for junior Scouts to reach First Class. The Troop Guide engages and coordinates other senior Scouts to help junior Scouts senior Scouts all help junior Scouts learn Scouting skills and thereby learn important leadership skills. Skills and program topics will be covered at meetings, but it is each scout s responsibility to demonstrate completion of a skill and get it signed off by the appropriate youth or adult leader. As each level is signed off, the scout must schedule a Scoutmaster Conference. The Scoutmaster will schedule the scout for a Board of Review, held monthly, where he will be asked to demonstrate competency for the level he has completed. Upon successful completion of the Board of Review, the scout will be registered with the Council at that level and receive his new rank patch. Advancement cards and other awards will be presented at quarterly Courts of Honor (Awards Ceremonies). Scouts must have the Scoutmaster s permission, a signed blue card and have contacted the appropriate merit badge counselor prior to working on any merit badges. Camping Troop 19 typically plans a camping opportunity every month of the year, including attending district and council camporees. We also attend a week of summer camp at one of the BSA scout camps. Senior Scouts often plan a trip to one of the BSA high adventure bases such as Sea Base in Florida or Philmont in New Mexico. Each scout will be required to provide and bring his own sleeping bag, backpack and personal gear. Troop 19 provides tents, kitchen equipment, mess kits, lanterns and woodsman tools Menus will be planned by the scouts and shopping for food will be done by the scouts with adult supervision and the costs distributed among the campers. Boys learn important skills about planning, the cost of food and decisionmaking around trade-offs (weight, storage requirements, taste, nutrition) when planning menus. Code of Conduct The Scout Oath: On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times, to obey the scout law, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. The Scout Law: A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Any "non Scout-like" behavior during activities will not be tolerated. A non Scout-like offense is determined by the majority or tie opinion of the registered volunteers supporting the activity but is generally related to being disruptive or discourteous to others, damaging property or creating a safety issue. Disciplinary actions vary with the severity of the issue and the number of occurrences within a time period: Minor First Offense - meeting with the Scoutmaster may be dispensed with extra service (e.g., litter patrol, etc.) Minor Second Offense - call parents-meeting with parents and Scoutmaster and a get-well plan will be developed. Minor Third Offense or Major First Offense - suspended from the troop for 2 weeks or other extra service requires escalation to the Committee Chair, Program Chair and Charter Organization Representative. 1
Fees Fourth offense or Major Second Offense - expulsion from the troop or as directed by the Committee Chair, Program Chair and Charter Organization Representative. Scouts who complete six months with no additional non Scout-like behavior receive one reduction in the level of offenses. No fees will be refunded due to missed meetings or activity participation related to Code of Conduct offenses. Parents may be required to pick-up their scout from any meeting or trip for any non Scout-like behavior regardless of number of offenses if determined by the majority or tied opinion of the registered volunteers supporting the activity. Parents will make every effort to pick-up the scout as soon as possible. Retrieval of their Scout is at their own expense. Scouts may be suspended from the next Troop short term camping trip regardless of number of offenses as determined by the majority or tie opinion of the registered volunteers supporting the activity. This can be in addition to or in-lieu of removing the scout from the current activity. Parents should expect the following financial investment: o Annual dues of $100.00 which includes BSA registration, insurance and recharter fees and a share of Troop expenses o Troop t-shirt o Registration for any Council or District sponsored event o Food cost for each camp out attended o Any cost incurred on other Troop 19 outings o Scout uniform (see uniform section) o Scout handbook (note that newly crossed-over Webelos will be provided with a Scout handbook) Medical Forms/Informed Consent and Hold Harmless/Release Agreement All scouts must have on file with Troop 19 a completed Annual Medical and Heath form Parts A, & B. Part C is required for any trip over 72 hours. The medical form requires an examination and signoff by their physician. Medication listed on Part A must match the medication given to the Adult Volunteer for each trip. No additional medication can be sent and no scout can attend without all medication that is listed on the form. The name and dosage on the form should match as volunteers are not trained to know generic or brand names. Remember, a new Part A can be completed at anytime and is required even for temporary (antibiotics, etc) medications. Parent Responsibilities Support your Scout in his attendance at weekly meetings and outings. Fill out necessary paperwork, forms and permission slips. Pay necessary fees in a timely manner. Trip fees are due at sign-up. Scouts with a negative balance will not be able to sign-up for an upcoming trip unless they have an approved financial waiver (see troop forms). Assist the adult leadership by serving on the Troop Committee, being a chaperone at meetings, helping with Courts of Honor, serving on Boards of Review, helping with transportation of the boys on outings, etc. Parents must be available at the number provided as the emergency contact number Part A of the BSA Annual Heath and Medical Form at all times that scouts are left at meetings or outings. Parents that cannot be reached after trying for 20 minutes will receive a warning and the second occurrence will result in the loss of dropping privileges at meetings for three months. Pick-up scouts from meetings in a timely manner. Parents who are more than 15 minutes late from the scheduled pick-up time (meeting or trips) will receive one warning. The second occurrence will result in the loss of dropping privileges at meetings for three months. 2
Scout Responsibilities Attend meetings-on time, in appropriate uniform Bring Scout Handbook and appropriate equipment to meetings and outings Work toward advancement Relay necessary forms, information and handouts to parents Participate in annual fund-raising projects Leadership Structure Troop Committee The Board of Directors is composed of parents of boys in the troop and chartered organization members. They are responsible for overseeing scouting programs, selecting leaders for the troop, assisting in fundraising, serving on Boards of Review, helping organize Courts of Honor and keeping troop finance and advancement records. The Executive Committee is composed of the Troop Committee Chair, The Scoutmaster, and The Charter Organization Representative. Adult Leadership consists of the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters Youth Leadership consists of Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leaders, Assistant Patrol Leaders and Troop Guides. Other Troop positions that may be held by scouts are Quartermaster, Scribe, Order of the Arrow Representative, Troop Historian, Librarian, Instructor, Chaplain Aide, Den Chief, and Youth Assistant Scoutmaster. The Patrol Leaders Council is composed of the Youth Leaders listed above. Their responsibility is to plan and run the troop s program and activities with guidance when needed from the Scoutmaster and Troop Committee. Patrols are small groups of boys who work together as a team, each with their own name, yell and flag. Uniforms Field (informally known as Class A) uniform shall consist of scout uniform shirt with appropriate insignia, scout pants or shorts, scout belt, scout socks, and closed toe shoes (SHOULD BE WORN TO EVERY MEETING). Merit badge sash and bolo tie should be worn for special occasions, ceremonies, or Boards of Review. Official BSA baseball, expedition or campaign style hats may be worn with the uniform. Activity (informally known as Class B) uniform consists of Troop T-Shirt and scout pants. Open toed shoes are not appropriate and are prohibited for scouting events Alternate uniform may be allowed at the discretion of the Scoutmaster for some activities. Working together Troop 19 leaders work hard to provide a great scouting experience for our scouts. Remember that they are all volunteers and they can t make it happen by themselves. Everyone is expected to contribute in some way to keep our troop going strong! I agree to follow the rules and guidelines established in the Troop 19 Handbook. (Parent Signature) (Date) 3
Appendix A - Governance The Troop is chartered by the Cuthbertson PTSO and although the Program is aligned to BSA policies and principles, the Troop s authority to operate derives from the CPTSO. Committee Chair Charter Organization Representative Overall responsibility for administrative aspects of the Troop, staffing the committee positions with qualified personnel, financial health of the Troop, ensure safety in all operations, sign all member applications (along with Charter Organization Representative), ensure adequate meeting facilities, liaison to Charter Organization, ensure adequate systems support, ensure achieve Journey to Excellence goals, meeting minutes and records Representative of and liaison to the chartering organization liaison to co-signs adult applications voting member on the BSA local council and district committee ensure that the unit has the necessary support and facilities to operate the unit to foster an awareness of the unit and encourage participation of the unit to activities which benefit the charter organization consistent with the objectives and values of Scouting - Finance Chair (Treasurer) annual financial plan, tracking expenditures and revenues against plan, collections, expense reimbursements, bookkeeping, reconciling accounts (checking, PayPal, Scout Accounts) and posting on TroopWebHost - Outdoor Activities Chair (Ops) coordinating camping and other trip activity logistics to ensure BSA guidelines adhered to, training requirements met, medical forms current and stored securely, adult participation met, tour permits, activity plans, logistics with vendors, communicating logistics - Equipment Chair (Quartermaster) - assessing safety and adequacy of equipment, supporting the boy Troop Quartermaster, audit of Troop Quartermaster s inventory, making recommendations on equipment purchases, ensuring security of Troop equipment - Membership Chair (HR) liaison to Council on membership forms, ensuring personnel adhere to training requirements (Youth Protection, etc.) and flagging expirations and deficiencies to the Committee Chair timely, performs the recharter by interacting with ScoutNet, driving membership strategies - Program Chair (Scoutmaster) ensures a quality program in accordance with BSA principles, recruits Assistant Scoutmasters and ensures they are aware of training requirements and opportunities, supports boy leadership and provides opportunities for Scout leadership training and advancement, first line in discipline, ensure Scoutmaster conferences conducted according to BSA guidelines to assess rank advancement readiness - Advancement Chair (Badges) conduct Boards of Review with two additional committee members, validate and enter completed merit badge (blue card) information endorsed by Scoutmasters into ScoutNet, validate and enter completed rank advancement information into ScoutNet, ensure rank badges and merit badges and associated documentation cards acquired timely, verify and submit adult recognition award requests (knots) to Council. - Fundraising Chair (Bucks / Kernel Popcorn) coordinate fundraising activities, drive identification and logistics around fundraising, enlist volunteers, Popcorn chair - Service Project Chair (Missionary) drive identification and logistics around service projects, coordinate logistics with Activities Chair, communicate logistics, enlist volunteers, enters service project information into Council website 4
A quorum comprises a minimum of 4 Committee members present or proxied for items which can be approved by the majority of those present, versus those items requiring a majority of all committee members. The Key 3 Executive Committee comprises the Committee Chair, Program Chair and Charter Organization Representative. Decision Matrix Financial- 500 Activity Continuation Safety Activity Plan Policy Minor Policy Major Financial- >500 Disciplinary Majority of Those Present or Proxy (Quorum = 4) X X X X True Majority (phone, email, in-person) X X Key 3 Majority X X Key 3 Unanimous X Scoutmaster Veto X X Committee Chair Veto X X X Charter Organization Veto X X Note that an activity veto formally withdraws endorsement of the activity as a Troop activity if leaders elect to continue it will be in the role as a scouting body independent of the Troop and the activity may still be covered by BSA insurance if conducted according to BSA policies; if parents who are not leaders elect to continue the activity, it will be in the role as private citizens independent of the Troop and BSA. 5
Appendix B Adult Activity Participation Policy Requirement to Camp: At least two registered BSA volunteer (committee exception can be made for one registered volunteer and one parent in accordance with BSA policy) are required to support Troop outings that have completed Youth Protection Training, Scoutmaster Specifics and Outdoor Leader Skills. Each trip must include at least one adult that has current CPR and Hazardous Weather training. Additional training may be required based on type of trip (shooting sports, swimming, boating, wilderness, etc) in accordance with the BSA guide to safe scouting. Troop 19 will allow parents to participate on short term (less than 72 hours) camping trips (long term camping requires BSA membership/background checks for all adults) with the following criteria: o Son is on the trip o Youth Protection Training completed within two years and certificate provided. o Annual Heath and Medical Record form must be provided. o Agree to follow all BSA policies (Seek guidance when appropriate from trained volunteer supporting trip) o Agree to the guidelines outlined in this document Siblings are not allowed on any Troop 19 trip (Exceptions can be made with committee approval). All BSA policies would remain in effect and the parent would retain full responsibility of the sibling. Guidelines: Provide an environment that allows the boys to succeed on their own. Get to know the scouts. Meet them, watch them, and chat with them. Provide encouragement rather than criticism. Provide a positive role model that demonstrates scout like behavior and character we are trying to develop. The bar is not what they may be exposed to at home or in other environment. Foul language (all types/levels), non-scout like jokes, sensitive topics are strictly prohibited regardless of scout age that may be present. Special care should be taken to not use language that may be unacceptable to certain religious (ie: Using God s name). Use opportunity to teach skills using the EDGE method to Enable the scout to work on his own under a watchful eye. Focus on removing obstacles to allow them to succeed on their own. Give them the opportunity to fail if consequences allow it. (Ask yourself "Can I live with the consequences of what might happen?") Give them the opportunity to set and miss scheduled events. (Ask yourself "Can I live with the consequences of what might happen? In general, we will allow them to be late for things like opening ceremony, activities and classes, but not things like purchased tickets for boats, shows, etc) 6
Allow them to leave things (dirty dishes, etc) if they decide they need to make a scheduled event. It will still be there for them when they return to handle. Don t clean it up for them while they do their activity. Guide from the background striving to let the boys feel it is their trip where adults are not present. Watch the boys without them knowing we're watching them. Advancement is encouraged, but the boys also need to just hang out. Keep one eye open watching the boys. If you see scouts doing something that is dangerous, violation of BSA policy or illegal, intervene. Observe scout performance, but save your input for the post outing start/stop/continue discussion and leadership mentoring sessions. Correction during the outing should be limited to items that will have a substantial impact on the results of outing (examples: scout being left out, confused, upset). If required, then adhere to troop communication protocol: o Scoutmasters direct troop communication through assigned SPL/ASPL, PL, TG o Adults direct troop communication through scoutmaster or designee. Additional Guidelines for Parent/Child: Parents should remember they are attending to support all scouts and should avoid treating their child any differently than any other boy in the troop. Your child is on a Troop outing and will continue to be the responsibility of youth leadership. The youth leadership keeps track of scouts and make sure they stay together as they travel in camp. You should not take your son out of the troop structure Casually visit and/or watch your son from afar, but refrain from hovering or helping them with their daily needs and/or decisions. If you see your son doing something that concerns you and makes you want to talk to him about it, ask another adult to discuss it with him. The other adult will likely have another perspective on your concern. The input to your son will be much better received if it comes from another adult. Disciplinary Procedure for Adult Volunteers and/or Parents Participating in Activities Per the BSA Youth Protection policy, there are two types of violations which require reporting external to the Troop: If you witness or suspect that any child has been abused or neglected See "Mandatory Report of Child Abuse" section of the Youth Protection policy, and; If you witness a violation of the BSA's Youth Protection policies, you must notify your local council Scout executive or his/her designee so appropriate action can be taken for the safety of our Scouts. Refer to the Scouting s Barriers to Abuse" section of the Youth Protection policy. All violations of BSA Policy or guidelines outlined in this document should be reported by any participant (scout or other adults) to the Adult Volunteer leading the trip which will file a report with the Scoutmaster and Troop Committee Chair as soon as practical. An immediate decision will be made 7
by at least 2/3 of Executive Committee (Scoutmaster, Charter Organization Representative, Committee Chair per the Decision Matrix of the Troop 19 Handbook) on whether the Adult should be suspended from camping activities and/or Troop functions and may also be asked to leave the current trip immediately. A suspension between 30 and 90 days shall be imposed, consistent with the perceived severity of the incident. At the conclusion of the suspension period, a hearing can be convened by the Executive Committee with the adult to consider the nature of the infraction and decide on whether there is a case for redemption or whether a further suspension is warranted. Redemption might consist of a prescribed activity, for example, leading a session on the dangers of smoking if an Adult is seen in the act of smoking, or the importance of reverence if the Adult is heard using profanity. 8