RSBollinger

Thank you all for your support! I was referred to a quote in the Scoutmaster's Handbook. On page 120, in the center section in blue, a quote reads "Scouts are expected to complete the current requirements as they are written for ranks, merit badges, and other awards. No requirements may be added or omitted." The quote goes on to talk about exceptions for Scouts with disabilities. I was struck by the direct language here. "... as they are written..." is very clear that no additional writing should take place here, and that a written attendance policy for the sole purpose of advancement is additional writing on the advancement requirement. Just more ammunition for the no policy side. Thanks again, Robert

Pam, Just a quick comment regarding the activities. Our troop does two car washes per year. We also do one indoor activity, usually a climbing wall. We do very little with the packs in our area. None of the packs are "feeder" packs. Last, any activity that includes an overnight is considered a campout and falls under a different section of the attendance policy. The three sections are (1) Troop Meetings, (2) One Day Activities, (3) and Overnight Campouts. We also don't tend to count Eagle Projects into the activities, that is factored in under service time. Thanks and hope this clears up the 3+ years. Robert

Thanks dan, OldGreyEagle, Eamonn, and Pam! I firmly agree we have too much adult participation right now. I have been an adult leader for 1.5 years with this troop and I am looking for change. I feel a percentage based requirement has too many issues the main problem being that scouts have different requirements depending on how many outings, meetings, and activities are scheduled during the particular time frame. I also feel that the policy violates the National Organizations goal of letting the boys advance at their own rate. Anytime an adult (through policy) tells a scout you must do this to advance (in this case attend particular trips, meetings, or activities) the scout has been told that they need to advance at the rate determined by the adult and not themselves. I appreciate all of the feedback. I am setting up a meeting with a representative with our local council and the Scoutmaster to try to get the best outcome for our troop (and the boys in particular). Part of this came up because we have a boy that is one of the top soccer players in the area in our troop. As he gets older he is looking for college scholarships and if he is absent from too many practices or games he won't be offered any scholarships and will more than likely be dropped by his club teams. He is one of the hardest workers in the troop having completed well over 30 merit badges but has gotten held up on the attendance once or twice. I have a hard time believing that this young man is not an Eagle Scout because he didn't attend a few camping trips. Thank you all again and keep the comments coming! Robert

Ed, Thanks for the input. Unfortunately we have several key adult leaders that feel that a written, extensive policy is needed in order to define what as active scout is and what an inactive scout is. I feel this is harmful to the boys, especially those boys in other activities that sometimes conflict with the Boy Scout schedule. Do you have an opinion regarding this issue? Should there be a written policy? Thanks, Robert

I need some help with Requirement #1 for Star, Life, and Eagle. The requirement reads: Be active in your troop and patrol for at least (X) months as a (Previous Rank) Scout. The big question is what does "active" mean? Currently our troop has an attendance policy that mandates a particular attendance rate during campouts, troop activities, and camping trips if a scout wishes to complete requirement #1 for Star, Life, and Eagle (this would also apply for Eagle Palms Requirement #1). For discussion sake I think it is between 2/3s and 3/4s depending on whether it is a troop meeting, activity, or campout. We have some that support the policy, while others (like myself) would like to have the policy removed. I would like to solicit opinions from the dedicated people on scouter.com on this policy matter. My case for removing the policy involves several key points. First the camping merit badge has a requirement of 20 days and 20 nights of camping. This requirement is part of an eagle required badge because the national eagle board decided that a scout should have 20 days and 20 nights of camping. We do 33 days and nights of camping each year. Our policy would require boys to go to 25 days and night to complete the percentage requirement for those ranks (this does not include the necessity of camping trips for the first class requirement of 10 activities, which would take over 3 years without camping trips). This brings the required total number of camping trips to over 30. Isn't this an additional requirement on top of what the advancement requirements are to Eagle? The next situation that is has occurred several times, is when a scout must attend a particular trip to meet the advancement requirement. If the scout fails to attend that activity they will "lose" credit for trips at the start of the period. If a boy became ill and couldn't attend a particular trip their advancement would be in jeopardy. This means it is possible for a scout to complete over 100 days and nights of camping while never meeting the attendance requirement. Does this seem right? What do you do with a scout that MUST work to help support his family. This scout might not be able to meet the attendance requirement. Should this underprivileged young man be held back from advancing even though he is taking a level of responsibility far greater than the majority of scouts in the program? Another key ingedient to my position is information from the National Boy Scouts of America website. Under advancement I found the following quote: "The Boy Scout plans his advancement and progresses at his own pace as he meets each (advancement) challenge." Clearly if the scout MUST attend any trip for the sake of attending this runs against this statement. The boy is planning nothing which is a sign of too much adult participation in the program. I also believe that advancement will show through attendance. The boys that attend more will be able to work on more requirements during meetings and trips. Thus if they don't attend they are naturally affecting other portions of their development. Again, any opinions or references would be appreciated. Thanks, Robert