David CO

What would the UC have to do with it? The UC can't ban someone from the CO's property.

Threatening words or behavior would do it. But even then, we might let the parent walk it back. I agree with you, Stosh. Something would have to be seriously wrong. Something would have to be seriously wrong with the troop, or something would have to be seriously wrong with the parent. Or both. Either way, the situation would warrant further investigation and possible action by the representatives of the Chartered Organization.

I am still a bit curious about the ban. A ban is a very serious thing. It is a high level decision. I am pretty high up, but even I don't have the authority to issue a permanent ban on a parent. Only my pastor can do that. If my pastor banned a parent, he would send the parent an official letter of notification. He would sign the letter. He would keep a copy of the letter in his files. The pastor, principal, and I would dot every "i" and cross every "t" to document everything just in case we might later need to get a restraining order. We would very certainly not notify the parent by word of mouth.

Thanks, I think I have a better understanding of the situation now. I've been on both sides of the interview table. Selecting a scoutmaster can be a trying process, and much of it is never seen by the other leaders, parents, and scouts.

I'm getting a little confused. If the Chartered Organization wants to implement the patrol method in its unit, why isn't the CO appointing leaders who agree with it?

True, it would be nice if all the adults in a boy's life were on the same page. It sure would make my life and job a lot easier. But that's not reality, is it Beavah? Many of my students and scouts don't live in a traditional two-parent household. I have often been in a circumstance where one parent signs a boy up for an activity, like sports or scouting, while the other parent doesn't agree with or support the program.

Some religions have more strict modesty rules than others. Mothers have rights, but churches have rights too. My church has a very nice area for nursing mothers, very nicely furnished and decorated. Much more comfortable than a pew in the church or a folding chair in the hall.

I have to disagree with Beavah on this last point. The younger son says he would like to continue in scouting with this unit. I see no reason why he shouldn't. As an Athletic Director, I have seen parents ejected from ballgames, banned from school grounds, and placed under restraining orders. The kids still played. It can still work.

The question of Youth vs. Adult led is for the owner of the unit, the Chartered Organization, to make. It's not your call.

What a rip-off. My unit has never participated in OA, so I had no idea.

I very much doubt that state laws regarding breastfeeding would apply to a church facility.

Beavah, I know this may be an over-simplification, but this is what the council told me about advancement program when we first chartered our unit back in the 80's. Advancement is like the uniforms. We don't require you to buy uniforms, but if you decide to go with the uniforms, we want you to wear them correctly.

Girl Scout troops don't have Chartered Organizations. In the Boy Scouts, the CO owns the camping equipment. This makes it much easier for a Boy Scout troop with a good CO to invest in and accumulate an adequate supply of camping equipment.

Yes. The KC's pay the registration fees. The Boosters Club pays the camping fees. The concessions stand buys the food. The Outdoor Education program of the Science department owns the equipment.

Hedgehog, you might want to look back at post #71.

A Chartered Organization doesn't just sponsor the unit, it owns the unit. The OP has said nothing about the Chartered Organization. This seems very strange to me. I've said this before. It would not have been possible for something like this to occur in my unit without me hearing about it.

That would really be a feather in their cap. Maybe BSA should create a new award for successfully destroying a scout unit.

No dues or camping fees. Scouting is an extracurricular activity.

Some people overestimate the amount of influence a council has over a Chartered Organization. From the point of view of the Chartered Organization, the Boy Scout program is probably their smallest and least popular activity. This doesn't give the council a great deal of leverage.

Would you really recommend that a parent take on a confrontational stance with the unit's Chartered Organization?

The SM and CC serve at the pleasure of the Chartered Organization. You may wonder why the SM and CC are allowed to remain in their positions. The simple answer is that the Chartered Organization chooses to keep them.

It is not at all unusual for my unit to have adult dictates regarding meals. Some of these dictates are standing policies etched in stone, such as fasting during lent, and some are one time events, like a troop pig roast. So, we are not 100% boy lead.

School does a pretty good job preparing boys to eat together as a patrol. After eating the federally mandated swill served in the cafeteria, camp food doesn't seem half bad.

Some people take this "boy lead" thing a step or two beyond where my Chartered Organization would be willing to go. In the case of peanut allergies, my CO would expect the adults to inspect the supplies and verify that there is no peanut butter in the chuck box. If a boy has an allergy to bee stings, and adult would be required to carry an epi-pen. Trust but verify.

Do we know for sure that the merged church doesn't already have a scout unit?