Re: [Philmont]: Photo IDs for scouts

I think it is important for everyone to realize that the restrictions
and requirements are trending upwards virtually everywhere around the
country. What worked 5 years ago (pre-9/11), or 3 years ago (post-9/11)
or even last year, may not work now. For example, they announced just
yesterday that travel in and out of Canada is now going to require a lot
more in the way of ID.

As I mentioned in my post last night, there isn't a lot of consistency
in what you face. Some airports, some military bases, some activities,
require ID for everyone (including minors), others don't. To make it
even more capricious, sometimes the *same* airport, military base, or
activity, will require ID, then not require it when the next shift arrives.

Minors in large groups tend to be handled a little more reasonably, if
for no other reason some time efficiency. Again, as I posted last
night, having a group of Scouts all in impeccable uniform, all obviously
under the wings of several uniformed adults, can help speed the process.
  But I have been a couple of times where it didn't; who knows why?

Photo ID requirements for minors for domestic travel tend to be pretty
tame - a formal school ID, or a DMV "equivalent" license, seem to be
fine. They just want something that shows your happy, smiling face and
matches the name on the ticket or roster. However, for this reason,
it's important to use formal names and ***not nicknames*** - if the name
doesn't match, that can cause problems. Though again, if the security
people are looking at an obvious 14 or 15 year old in a full Scout
uniform, who's part of a group, the problems tend to fade.

On international travel, even just to Canada or the Carribean, I would
now insist on passports for everyone. The huge jump in passport
application fees may cause some push-back from your Scout families on
this, but the costs are minimal compared to the delays and hassles if
you're stuck with unaccompanied minors in a foreign country, and their
officials decide to make an example of you (that is, simply follow the
letter of the law). BTW, the U.S. passport fee is now (I believe)
$75.00 ***You also need to be very careful of visa requirements.***

Finally, whenever we (Troop 111) has travelled overseas, we had a
notarized form for each minor that explicitly detailed out parental
consent to travel with we the adult leaders. Such forms are available
on-line. This is important due to child smuggling, adoption-for-money
rings, slavery sales, child sex sales, and similar crimes that Customs
and Border Patrol are increasingly concerned with (and yes, such crimes
are increasingly common, and a real serious problem in some areas of the
world). In my experience, we were warned that minors who were not
obviously American (combination of race, clothing, speech, etc.) would
get some "extra" scrutiny. Ah Brave New World! Fortunately such
concerns are minimal for domestic travel.

Bottom line is, take the time to get photo ID for everyone, and
potentially save yourself a lot of hassle "down the trail".

- Dr. Bob

Joe Tavares wrote:
> Bob,
>
> Depending on their ages and the airline, the scouts could also be classified
> as unaccompanied minors, which would require a great deal of coordination
> with parents and advisors to even get on the plane. Having a photo ID is a
> great idea, wish I'd thought of it, but not sure if you could even get a 14
> year old on the plane without a parent's consent.
>
> Joe T.
>
> Troop 728
> Richardson, TX
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-philmont@troop47.com [mailto:owner-philmont@troop47.com] On
> Behalf Of Bob SCHAETTLE
> Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 5:08 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list philmont
> Subject: [Philmont]: Photo IDs for scouts
>
> Our crew will be traveling by automobile and train, and so I had not planned
> to require the scouts to carry a photo ID. It occurred to me, however, that
> if a scout were required to end his trek early and fly home, the TSA rules
> would require him to present a photo ID before boarding a commerical
> aircraft. Has anyone encountered this situation? What are your thoughts?
> Many thanks,
> Bob Schaettle
> Rochester, Minnesota
>
>

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Received on Wed Mar 30 06:02:52 2005