Untrustworthy Scout

[croushorn]

Bull its not too late: you can tear that card up just as easily as you signed it. And if youve already turned the card in, explaining to the troop advancement committee or committee chair I am almost certain most would agree to review the situation. I would spend a few more minutes with the Scout to really try to get to the bottom of it. Quietly bring in another leader or two to cover your back. Lay on the A Scout is Trustworthy part thick. Still, youll get to a point where that will only go so far and if he keeps denying it then you have to let it go. Remember there is a chance what you were told isn't the whole story, intential or not.

It's easier to cheat because getting your clothes wet in the shower is much easier than struggling with an intimidating task, especially for a weaker swimmer.

Setting up additional testing of the skill can be a real challenge and the kid can find a way out of that one if he wants to bad enough just forgets to tell M&D about the meeting that night and is a no show. Depending upon the relationships, you may or may not wish to get the parents involved. If you keep dragging this out then it will really look odd to other parents/leaders. Get it resolved one way or another and move on. he never liked me anyways and now has proof. Or comments from other leaders why is he so hard on Johnny? with numerous additional odd events that singled him out. Not a good way to go.

We had a problem at camp with this year of Leatherwork MB with Scouts showing counselors projects others had made. We alerted staff immediately, hope it made a difference.

We also had an incident a few years back at a national event within our contingent. I was ready to let it go, but another adult leader kept pushing a very respected group of our highest junior leaders and finally they admitted to us they were lying and covering for each other concerning stealing (very dumb - took freebees from a closed booth). It was rough, but quite an experience for them and us. Afterwards some of them approached me and apologized. At that point I was still angry as I thought we had a better relationship than that. I told them I once lied to my beloved Scoutmaster. He busted me for lying over a very simple and stupid thing, but I wouldnt admit it to him. I regret it to this day and still see the disappointed look on his face when I wouldnt come clean. I hoped sharing my experience would complete the lesson for them. Since then all those guys have gone on to be the best our council and lodge has. I think they learned.

 

 

[MarkS]

Issues like this prompted me to pick up a copy of the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures Pamphlet, BSA item #33088. In looking it over, it really doesn't provide a lot of guidance for something like this.

 

Nothing on how a Scoutmaster may supersede the opinion of a merit badge counselor. It did say that a merit badge once earned can never be taken away. I'm not sure when "earned" comes into place though but if there is a question as to whether a boy actually did the work required for a badge, it will be best to answer this question as early as possible in the approval process. If a Scoutmaster waits too long, he won't have the information necessary to back up a decision to deny sending in the blue card to council for approval. At the time, it's probably best to do the things folks here recommended to prevent it from happening again.

[WilVick]

It's quite a quandary when a boy is alleged to have done something wrong. While you have the word of three against one who seems to be hiding something...you really have the unenviable situation of taking one set of word over another individual's word. Difficult indeed.

 

The idea of having a demonstration for the instruction of troop members or parents is great, but don't single the one youth out. Assign this responsibility to him and to one or more of the others. No sense in adding the accusation of "Scoutmaster has a vendetta against my son" to the situation.

 

Please don't assume the staff or camp is guilty of some failure to be aware and alert on the job. If the incident allegedly took place at the pool, as opposed to the waterfront, might the young man in question have slipped into the bathhouse to use the restroom? Doing that he could have easily stepped under the shower and come out appearing to have completed the requirement. I'm not trying to alleviate the staff missing one of the boy's not completing a requirement, staff should have a record keeping system in place to mark each boy's completion of each requirement.

 

I have had the pleasure and privilege of serving as program director and as camp director. I never had an issue of this type...but I had three paid staff at my pool and at least one CIT...it's easier to do the major pool MB's: Lifesaving and Swimming. We had an average of 30 to 40 boys a week and managed to provide a complete and to the requirement week of merit badges with good record keeping and teamwork.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Wil

[Stosh]

I found that the records that came from camp this summer were pretty much bogus anyway. I found it difficult to accept records that show boys passing all the requirements for a merit badge and new boy requirements and the boy didn't even attend camp. One's gotta wonder about the integrity of the progam when it's that far out in left field. My PL's had to go back review every single requirement for every single boy to make sure things were done properly. Once signed never questioned? Not in my troop. The boy at least has to show up to get credit for the merit badge.

 

I'd be careful of blaming the boys, there's plenty of problems originating out of camp staff as well.

 

It's one of those adult-led issues all over again. Had I been johnny-on-the-spot and watched over every little detail, this would not have happened. But if the PL's are running the show, often times the staff just blows them off.

 

At least my boys have been honest with the problems of their advancement. They told their PL's for each requirement whether or not they were able to finish it. The boy that didn't go because of an injury let me know which items he was able to work on while he was laid up and his PL marked him off correctly inspite of what the camp records showed.

 

The double whammy comes with being able to trust your PL's to honestly get it straightened out with boys who would easily be able to get out of doing some of the requirements.

 

Stosh

 

 

[NeilLup]

"I found it difficult to accept records that show boys passing all the requirements for a merit badge and new boy requirements and the boy didn't even attend camp."

 

Depending upon your relationship with your council leadership, I would share this information as high in your council's leadership structure as you can get. I would not do it to embarrass anyone but as a quality control measure on your council's camping and advancement program.

 

When I was Council Commissioner, I would have wanted to know thia right away. Now that I am VP program for my council, I would want to know this right away. Not at tne end of the camping season. Right away! Call me on my cell phone tonight.

 

Anybody can make a mistake. However, having a boy who did not attend camp approved for a merit badge represents the kind of error that compromises the integrity of our entire program. I would want to take responsibility for fixing it immediately.