TROOP 212 POLICIES  

Boy Scout Troop 212 is sponsored by the Northglenn United Methodist Church (NUMC).  The church is the Troop’s charter organization.  On average there are anywhere between 40 to 60 Scouts registered with the Troop.  The Troop meets on Mondays from 7:00 PM until generally 8:30 PM.  On the second Monday of every month there is a Patrol Leader Committee (PLC) with the Boy Scout Leadership from 6:30 PM until 7:30 PM.  During the PLC the Scouts, along with the Scoutmaster, discuss what they would like to plan for the coming months in the way of meetings, activities, events and campouts.  After the PLC, there is a Parent Committee meeting (PCM) that runs until 9:00 PM.  This meeting includes the adults (volunteer leaders and parents) who discuss what activities require support from the parents of the Troop.  This is also considered a planning session regarding the upcoming events, activities and campouts.

The Troop has certain policies and guidelines for the management of the Troop.

1. Active Scouting

     The Boy Scouts of America has directed that each Troop have a definition of what is considered active participation by each Scout in the Troop.  The expectations must be reasonable and they must be applicable to each Scout in the Troop.  The expectations will be considered in the steps for the Scout’s Rank Advancement.

     The Troop’s active scouting expectations will stay within the original guidelines that are outlined in the Boy Scout handbook.  Each Scout in Troop 212 must be registered with the Boy Scouts of America and the Denver Area Council.  The paperwork is usually completed at the Scout’s first Troop meeting with Troop 212.  Generally this occurs after a Cub Scout Crossover into Boy Scouts, when a Boy Scout transfers between Troops or when the boy first joins Boy Scout Troop 212. Registration with the BSA then happens annually as part of the Troop recharter process.

The Scout should have no discipline problems, either when signing up of the Troop or during their time with Troop 212.  The adult leaders and parents are responsible for addressing any discipline problems as they occur at an event, activity, campout or meeting.  The Scoutmaster will always be informed of any problem and the resolution.  It may be necessary to involve the Scoutmaster in all aspects of the problem.  There is no corporal punishment used in the Troop or in the Boy Scouts of America.

The Scouts in the Troop are divided into Patrols ideally consisting of 6 to 8 Scouts.  In each Patrol there is a Patrol Leader (PL).  One of the PL’s responsibilities is to engage each of the Scouts in the activities, events, and meetings.  The PL is to make sure each Scout in their patrol is working on the requirements needed for his Rank Advancement.

The Scout is required to participate in the activities and events that the Troop and Patrol have scheduled to be considered active.  It is not necessary to participate in all the events.  The Patrol Leader has an expectation to encourage the members of his patrol to participate in each troop and patrol event.

It is necessary for each Scout in Troop 212 to be an active participant with the Troop as well as their Patrol on at least a quarterly basis.  The Scout should be in contact with their Patrol Leader throughout the term of their particular Patrol on an ongoing basis. The Patrol Leader should take an active role in communicating the decisions made during the PLC to his patrol members. The Patrol Leader is responsible for his patrol members to be prepared for patrol activities conducted during troop meetings.

Each Scout is required to attend a minimum of one Scout event and  meeting per quarter.  This meeting or event does not include the Rank Advancement meeting nor Board of Review.  

Boy Scouts are expected to participate in service projects.  These projects can include those that are done with the Troop or without Troop participation.  Scouts in Troop 212 are strongly encouraged to have completed at least two service hours per year.

2. In order for Troop 212 to run smoothly and allow all the Scouts to be able to participate in the different events, activities and campouts, the Troop needs to manage the money that is necessary.  Troop 212 has an adult Treasurer who is part of the Troop’s Committee.  The Treasurer is responsible for the monies that come into the Troop as well as those that need to be spent for the different things the Troop is involved in.  There are certain guidelines that are necessary for the Treasurer to be able to accurately manage the Troop account.

For each activity, event or campout there is a worksheet that must be filled out and completed by the Adult Sponsor of the Troop event, activity or campout. The intent of the worksheet is to use it as a participant sign-up sheet as well as a way to track the event, activity or campout expenses.  All of the receipts from the event, activity or campout should be included with the worksheet.  The receipts for the event, activity or campout are due to the Treasurer within two weeks of the event, activity or campout.

There are costs associated with each Scout event, activity and campout.  Traditionally Troop 212 has collected from each participating Scout for each event, activity and campout.  All the lists of all the costs for each event/activity/campout needs to be accurate.  Generally the costs are: $5 equipment fee for each event, up to $4 for each meal, and typically there are event/campout specific fees. All other costs are split up evenly between the Scouts that are signed up for the event, activity and campout.  The Scouts should be aware of all the costs that are associated with an event, activity and campout.

Generally an Adult Leader/Assistant Scoutmaster attends a campout with his/her Scout as an Adult volunteer.  Occasionally an Adult leader will volunteer to be an Adult leader at a campout without the attendance of his/her Scout.  In that case the BSA trained Adult Leader does not have to pay to go on a campout if his/her Scout is not attending.  This is only true for general campouts, not for High Adventure campouts.  Food is not included as part of this subsidy.  The Troop will pay the equipment fee and the participants of the event will pay for the campsite fee.  That cost will be added to the costs for the other attendees.  The BSA trained Adult Leader will be responsible for their own costs on the High Adventure Campouts.   

There will be times when reimbursement for the Adult leaders’ expenses for gasoline is warranted for a Scout event, activity and campout.  Troop 212 has established guidelines relating to this expense.  In order for the Adult Leader to get reimbursed there has to be notification to the Adult Event sponsor prior to the event, activity and campout.  The gasoline reimbursement is based on a reasonable threshold, reasonable mileage, and the cost of the event, activity, and campout.  

The parameters for the gasoline reimbursement include:

• The Adult leader is pulling the Troop 212 trailer, or

• The Adult leader is driving with four or more people, Scouts and/or Leaders, in their vehicle.  Two deep leadership needs to be a consideration.

• The accepted radius for gasoline reimbursement is 100 miles or greater from Northglenn United Methodist Church.

The cost of the gasoline as well as the food for an event, activity and campout is built into what is to be charged to the participating Scout.

3. Troop Activity Cancellation Policy

When Troop 212 plans and commits to an outing, every reasonable effort will be made to complete the outing as planned. However, we acknowledge and recognize that unforeseen events may require outings to be canceled or postponed. The first priority of the Adult sponsor/leader is the safety of the Scouts and other personnel in attendance. Should issues arise such as, but not limited to, illness or injury to any participants on the outing, inclement weather, equipment failure, vehicle difficulties, etc., it will be up to the discretion of the Adult sponsor/leader on the scene to decide if the event should be canceled. The Adult sponsor/leader for each event is listed on the “Tour and Activity Plan” which is filed with the Denver Area Council. This leader is granted the authority by the Troop 212 Committee to make the decision to cancel any event he/she feels has become unsafe or unreasonable to continue.

If an event is canceled, any funds that have been collected or are due for the event which have already been committed to expenses (for food, fuel, transportation, camp registration fees or other prepaid costs) cannot be refunded. Any uncollected amounts committed to be paid from the Scout’s account will still be charged. If any funds remain after covering all the expenses incurred for the outing/event, these will be evenly divided amongst the paying participants and refunded into those Scouts accounts.

3.2 If the Scout/Adult Leader must cancel

The fundamental rule should be that the Scout/Parents are responsible for what the Scout has signed up for once the cancellation date has passed.

If the Scout has to drop out of an event for conditions beyond their control beyond the cancellation date, he may present his case to a quorum of the Troop Committee requesting a portion of the event cost be refunded. Requesting this meeting must be done within 30 calendar days of the scouting event. This request should be made to the Troop Committee Chair either via written or verbal means.

3.3 Activity/Outing cut off dates

The Adult Leader or Scoutmaster will communicate the cancellation / cut off date.

Scouts who sign up for the activity and do not cancel before the cut off date are responsible for the non-refundable expenses. These non-refundable expenses include but are not limited to campsite fees, food, transportation, fuel, etc.

3.4 Troop 212 Activity Consent Agreement

In order to attend any Troop 212 outing, each participant must submit, before the event starts, a Troop 212 Activity Consent Agreement. Part of this agreement is the listing of emergency contacts and phone numbers. It is understood that if an event is canceled and the Troop returns home, an attempt will first be made to contact each Scout’s parent or guardian as they are listed on the consent form. If it is not possible to reach the primary contact listed on the form, the additional backup contact numbers will then be used for find someone to come to the departure/return location and pick up the Scout. Persons listed on the form must be available throughout the duration of the outing as an emergency contact.