Additional Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Service Extension for the Order of the Arrow Section Website Hosting Service

Updated 11 August 2021.

Effective Date: 30 September 2021

Thank you for using the Order of the Arrow’s Section Website Hosting Service (the “Service”). As members of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Honor Society, it is expected that you follow the Scout Oath and Law not only in your daily life but in your digital life as well. While we expect no issues with any section, lodge, or member using the Service, we provide this document as a set of rules and expectations. This document also serves as a learning opportunity for Arrowmen to get exposure to and interact with a document written in a form of “legalese.”

It is important to note that this document is an extension and not a replacement to the national terms and conditions that apply to all Boy Scouts of America sites, including the national Order of the Arrow sites, which are available at https://www.scouting.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. The BSA’s Privacy Policy, also applicable to national Order of the Arrow sites, is at https://www.scouting.org/legal/privacy-policy. This Terms and Conditions Extension Agreement (the “Agreement”) provides additional terms and conditions applicable to the Service and is an agreement between the user (“you”) and Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts of America (“OA/BSA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This Agreement governs your use of the Service and is applicable only to those who use the Service.

Please read this Agreement carefully before completing the onboarding process and using the Service.

By clicking, accepting, and/or using the Service, you are confirming your acceptance of the Service and agreeing to become bound by the terms of this Agreement as well as the other policies listed in the document. If you do not agree with the terms and conditions in this Agreement, do not click, accept or use the Service. If desired, please contact us so we may discuss any issues you may have with this Agreement.

This Agreement shall apply only to the Service supplied by the OA/BSA herewith regardless of whether other service is referred to or described herein. The terms also apply to any OA/BSA updates, supplements, Internet-based services, and support services for the Service unless other terms accompany those items on delivery. If so, those terms apply.

Registered Users

All registered users of the Service must meet all these requirements:

  • be at least thirteen (13) years of age;
  • be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America and of an Order of the Arrow lodge; and
  • agree to abide by all policies of the Order of the Arrow and the Boy Scouts of America.

We reserve the right to deny anyone access to an account and remove an account at any time.

Branding and Content Rules

Summary: In short, we ask that you follow the Order of the Arrow’s branding guidelines, be kind and considerate to others’ personal information, and keep the site free of any inappropriate content. All forms of communication that are not owned by the OA or its lodges or sections are not allowed. This section is very important, and we ask that everyone reads it in its entirety.

Branding

All hosted section websites must adhere to all branding guidelines, which can be found at https://oa-bsa.org/resources/branding. Personalization is allowed and encouraged. Provided with all sites is a web builder plugin known as Elementor with a premium subscription. It is recommended for all users to use this tool where applicable to enable the greatest level of customization and compatibility.

General Content

Any and all sensitive, private, or otherwise inappropriate information or content is strictly forbidden. This restriction would include but is not limited to any information a scout or an adult volunteer did not provide express consent to disclose (such as their name or photo) or any content that could be interpreted as improper or inappropriate for an official Order of the Arrow website (such as un-Scout-like language, political statements, derogatory comments, off-topic announcements, etc.).

External Links and Databases

Any external links provided on the website must be free from any inappropriate content, including but not limited to advertisements. Except for Google Calendar and other industry-standard utilities for which no pre-approval is required, the Section Web Hosting team must pre-approve any sites or databases you intend to pull data from or display.

Emails, phone numbers, social media handles, and all other forms of communication are not allowed to be included in section websites, except under these conditions:

  • The sole purpose is for Scouting-related communication, and
  • All email and all official social media accounts are monitored by more than one OA/BSA registered adult.

Private pages or pages with restricted access are only allowed when more than two registered adults have access to this page as required by Youth Protection (https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection). We encourage anyone with questions about how Youth Protection and the BSA’s other policies impact website content to visit our information page on the BSA’s Digital Safety policies at https://sectionweb.oa-bsa.org/documentation/suggestions-and-getting-started-information/bsas-social-media-guidelines-and-digital-safety or contact us.

We reserve the right to modify or delete any and all content at any time without notice.

Termination

In a termination of a user’s account or of a site in part or in whole, OA/BSA will attempt to maintain the integrity of the website, its users, and its data; however, we cannot guarantee they will not be affected during a termination and damage mitigation process. Our primary concern in this scenario is the safety and protection of our members and their families.

Amendments to this Agreement

OA/BSA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or replace this Agreement at any time. If a revision is material, we will provide at least thirty days notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion. The “Amendments to this Agreement” section is only applicable to this Agreement and not the core BSA Terms and Conditions agreement.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Agreement, please contact the Section Website Hosting team at section-tech-support@oa-bsa.org.