We only use information you provide for the Troop.
This policy is for our Troop only.

Boy Scout Troop 997 is committed to respecting and protecting the personal privacy of its members and those who visit the www.troop997.us website (“Site”).   It is our policy to acquire personal information from users only by overt and voluntary means, only when it is in the interest of the user to provide it, and to utilize this information only for the purpose it was provided.

The information that follows explains the kinds of information the Site collects, how it is used, the conditions under which it is made available to third parties, how information is maintained, and our compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

NOTE: This privacy policy applies only to www.troop997.us. This privacy policy does not apply to the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, any council or other unit Web site, as their content is not controlled by Boy Scout Troop 997. Please contact the administrator of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, any council, unit, or other Scouting-oriented Web site for information about their own privacy policies and the information they collect about their site visitors.

The principal elements of this privacy policy also apply to other online sites used by Boy Scout Troop 997 including but not limited to Facebook ™ and Twitter ™.    It does not override any service specific privacy policies, end user agreements, or terms and conditions expressed on those sites.   Scouts, their families, and adult volunteers are encouraged to read and review the terms of these services.

Site Content - Images, Video, Electronic Representations, and Audio Recordings

Boy Scout Troop 997 uses images, video, and audio recordings (“Content”) of Scouts, family members and adult volunteers participating at Scouting activities to promote Troop 997, encourage a feeling of belonging among Scouts, and recognize the achievements of individual Scouts.   These materials are collected and used exclusively for the benefit of Boy Scout Troop 997 and are NOT shared with Boy Scouts of America or the Greater Saint Louis Area Council.  

NOTE:  The Boy Scouts of America provides a separate release form for use of photographs, videos, images, electronic representations, and audio recordings of Scouts and adult volunteers as part of Medical Form Part C.   That release governs the use of Content made by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America or the Greater Saint Louis Area Council staff or volunteers.   All Scouts, parents and adult volunteers are encouraged to review and understand any release form.

We don't reveal scouts personal information on the public internet.
You need an authorized account to access most of our Website.
Any scout or parent can request content removal.

Public Internet and Registered Access to the Troop 997 Site

The Site contains content visible on the open Internet (“Public”) and content only visible to registered members of the Site (“Registered”).  

In the event that Content is posted for Public access, names and other identifying information will be removed.   This may require alteration of Content.  Boy Scout Troop 997 follows the Guide to Safe Scouting and practices designed to avoid publishing identifiable images, video, or audio content of Scouts on the Public portion of the Site.  “Identifiable” refers to information that may be used by someone unknown to a Scout to identify that scout by name or location.   “Identifiable” is different and distinct from “Recognizable.”  It is our intention that fellow Scouts, parents, and adult volunteers already associated with the troop will be able to recognize Scouts for the benefit of the troop and individual scouts.

Any Scout, parent, adult volunteer, or representative from our Charter Organization may request and receive Registered access to the Site.   A user ID and password will be assigned upon request and verification by the Webmaster.  

Content published within the Registered portion of the Site may contain Identifiable details regarding a Scout, parents, and adult volunteers including but not limited to name, address, phone, email address as well as images, videos, and audio recordings. 

Request for Removal of Content from Boy Scout Troop 997 Sites

Signing or not signing the BSA release form does not impact the use of Content on the Boy Scout Troop 997 Site or related online services. 

Any Scout or adult that does not want to be included in Content present on the Site or related online services controlled by Boy Scout Troop 997 should contact the Scoutmaster, an Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Chair or Troop 997 Webmaster.   Reasonable efforts will be made to exclude any Content containing your Scout or family from the Site or related online services controlled by Boy Scout Troop 997. 

Any Scout or parent has the right to request an immediate removal and review of Content that includes their Scout or other family members.   Boy Scout Troop 997 operates under and “REMOVE FIRST and REVIEW SECOND” policy and the act of requesting content removal will be sufficient to begin the process.   Once a request has been received either via Site Contact Page, email or in writing by the Scoutmaster, an Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Chair or Troop 997 Webmaster, the Content will be removed at the earliest opportunity available. 

In the event that Content is posted to a site or service not controlled by Boy Scout Troop 997, the troop may not be able to remove the content, but will provide the requestor with known details on the content owner.   In the spirit of Scouting, we request that all Scouts, families and adult volunteers respect the wishes of their fellow Scouts and act quickly to remove Content which anyone finds objectionable without argument or debate.

We strive to follow all applicable laws and safety guidelines.
This Website may incidentally capture some usage information.
We don't share information outside our Troop.

We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when Users visit our site, register on the site, subscribe to the newsletter, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Site. Users may be asked for, as appropriate, name, email address, phone number. Users may, however, visit our Site anonymously. We will collect personal identification information from Users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personally identification information, except that it may prevent them from engaging in certain Site related activities.

How we protect your information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data stored on our Site.

Non-personal identification information

This site collects anonymous data that is not indicative of and cannot be traced to an individual without the cooperation of their Internet Service Provider. This data includes information about the user's remote IP address, referral data (which page "linked" to the present request), and the browser software's user-agent string. This information is accepted passively from the HTTP headers that are sent from the user when requesting any file from the server. Other anonymous data entered by the user may be collected in a common repository, including terms entered into the search engine, ZIP codes entered into the council locator, etc.

Personally identifiable data is collected only by means of form interfaces on the site, into which the user must voluntarily enter the information requested. This information is requested only when it is necessary to accomplish the overt purpose indicated by the interface containing the form that requests it. Such for interfaces require only the information reasonably necessary to accomplish the overt purpose indicated on the interface.

No attempt is made to covertly or "quietly" collect personally identifiable information, nor are cookies or any other tracking technology used for the purpose of coordinating information that a user may opt to enter in various interfaces on the site.

Web browser cookies

Our Site may use "cookies" to enhance User experience. User's web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. User may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the Site may not function properly.

Sharing your personal information

We do not sell, trade, or rent Users personal identification information to others.   We may use third party service providers to help us operate our Site or administer activities on our behalf, such as sending out newsletters or surveys.

Third party websites

Users may find content on our Site that links to the sites like Facebook ™ or Twitter ™.   We do not control the content or links that appear on these sites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our Site. In addition, these sites or services, including their content and links, may be constantly changing. These sites and services may have their own privacy policies and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to our Site, is subject to that website's own terms and policies.

Compliance with Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

This legislation applies only to Web sites of a commercial nature. However, the Boy Scout Troop 997 considers it to provide sound advice for any Web site that is intended for use by children.

Therefore, Boy Scout Troop 997 does not use its Web site to collect any personally identifiable information from children under 13 years of age. Any input form that requests personally identifiable information that appears on an interface that is expected to be viewed by children under 13 years of age is accompanied by a notice that submissions cannot be accepted from users under 13 years of age. Where "age" or "date of birth" is requested, no information will be stored or transmitted unless the response indicates that the user is 13 years of age or older.

Providing personal information is never a prerequisite for accessing any of the content or resources on this Web site. Specifically, refusal to provide personal information via a Web interface will never result in a user being denied access to any on-line content or resource he would be able to access were the information submitted.

Changes to this privacy policy

Boy Scout Troop 997 has the discretion to update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage Users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this privacy policy periodically and become aware of modifications.

Your acceptance of these terms

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

Contacting us

The Site, Facebook group, and Twitter accounts are run and monitored by Boy Scout Troop 997.   Boy Scout Troop 997 is a unit within the Greater Saint Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is chartered by Ostmann Elementary PTO in O’Fallon, Missouri.  Boy Scout Troop 997 operates under the legal obligations of a 501c3 non-profit in the state of Missouri.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:

Boy Scout Troop 997
200 Meriwether Lewis Dr., O'Fallon, MO 63368
(636) 281-3382
www.troop997.us
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This document was last updated on September 5, 2013