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November 28, 2002
WASHINGTON -- The Boy Scouts of America will require criminal background checks of new adult volunteers beginning next year, it announced Wednesday.
New forms will request an applicant's permission for the checks, spokesman Gregg Shields said, and will be required of volunteers for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Explorers.
Those who do not get clearance won't be allowed to join, Shields said.
The organization's national executive council engaged ChoicePoint, an information management company, to handle the program, which Scouting will call VolunteerSelect, Shields said. ChoicePoint will review national and state government databases.
The requirement will take effect April 1, allowing time for the new forms to be distributed and for the policy change to be explained to all Scouting volunteers, Shields said.
The backgrounds of current adult volunteers are not being checked, but that might be required in years to come, Shields said. There are 1.2-million adult volunteers in Scouting, but the number of new volunteers varies from year to year, he said.
'We have as our highest goal to protect the children involved in Boy Scouting," Shields said. "To date, it's been difficult to do such a background check because all of the data is not in one spot."
Volunteering will be prohibited if the checks turn up convictions for sex crimes, violent crimes or drug offenses.
Findings in the background checks will be divulged only to the chief executive of a regional Scouting council, who would only tell local-level Scouting officials that an applicant does not meet the standard, Shields said. Those who are rejected will be given the opportunity to review and challenge any adverse information.