Struggling with this at our Troop.Was thinking of using this criteria:
1. Rank must be Higher than 1st Class (Star or above)
2. Must have 2 years experience as a Boy Scout (ie.. Starting 3rd Year or
more)
3. Must have attended 75% of the meetings & campouts in the preceeding 6
months
4. Must agree to attend 75% of the meetings & campouts after attaining
office.
5. Must have approval of the Scoutmaster to run for SPL. Approval will be
granted based on Attitude, Scout's application of the Scout Law and the
Scouts display of leadership qualities.
One of the biggest issues is that we have a couple of Scouts who are very disruptive within the Troop when they are around. One doesn't show up too much to campouts or meetings. When he does, he is disruptive. The other shows up for meetings, but not for campouts. In any case, he has a very poor attitude, is only there because his parents make him. The both don't fit the attendance criteria for the last 6 months and certainly from the SM perspective wouldn't be eligible based on attitude.
However, the other take is let the Troop make the decision. That gives them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Let them judge whether these folks are poor candidates and if they make the woring decision, the live with it. At the same time, maybe we are missing an opportunity for the Scouts to make a turnaround. WIth the responsibility, maybe their attitude will change. It may require a lot more mentoring from the Adult Leaders, but maybe more will gained for the Scout.
In any case however, we will have a requirement for the elected SPL to attend the majorty of the meetings and campouts. We will also want the ability to remove the SPL if they Don't live by the Scout Oath or become a disruptive influence.
