Good afternoon, Scouters!
I was in a debate with a fellow Scouter about who is and is not required to submit medical forms. I quoted the BSA FAQ found here: Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the Annual Health and Medical Record | Boy Scouts of America
which answers the question, “Who needs to complete an Annual Health and Medical Record?” with the following:
“For any and all Scouting activities, all participants must compete Part A and Part B (both pages) . “All participants” includes parents, guardians, siblings, youth, staff, and unit leaders.”
I was challenged on the definitions of “participant” and “activities”. Is a Troop meeting considered an activity? If a meeting IS an activity, would anyone who attends be considered a participant? Does that include all those parents not involved (not participating in whatever the Scouts are doing) yet who are still present in the room?
An attempt to answer the challenges based on the purpose of the forms led me to the question, “Why does the Boy Scouts of America require all participants to have an Annual Health and Medical Record?” (The word “participants” is in this answer too!)
The most applicable purpose of the forms is found here Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the Annual Health and Medical Record | Boy Scouts of America citing participant health awareness, status, and critical information in an emergency. To quote the FAQ, “The medical record is used to prepare for high-adventure activities and increased physical activity. In some cases, it is used to review participants’ readiness for gatherings like the national Scout jamboree and other specialized activities.” (Look, “participants” again!)
“Increased physical activity” at best, a weak justification for requiring medical forms, and I can only pare down to the definition that if one has registered and paid their fees (and therefore, is a Scouting America member), and they show up at a Scouting event of ANY kind, they are a participant.
How is the gray area of AOLs visiting a Troop meeting or campout handled? Is the Pack responsible for the medical forms of the Pack kids, or is the Troop required to make sure their visiting AOLs are all compliant? Do AOL parents (who may not be registered, but probably ARE participating) need to fill out med forms too?
And finally, please cite your sources as best you can. I don’t really care about the answer so much as the ability to enforce the consistency of it.
Thanks for your input, and Scout on!
