Age/Grade Level Requirement - Special Needs Cub Scout

[amg4814]

A boy joined my den who was originally in 1st grade (6.5 years old) but the parent decided to put him back in Kinder right before he joined. He suffers from social anxiety and has an IEP (special education placement). His IEP is for his anxiety only! Academically and behaviorally he is exactly the same as the other boys. He's just shy, but loves Cub Scouts and I believe Scouts would be a benefit to him. His dad filled out his application and put K for his grade level. I honestly had no idea about the 7 years or 1st grade requirement when he joined. My boy is the same age as him so I didn't think it would be a big deal so I let him join my den. So far no one has said anything, I'm not exactly advertising that he's in K. I would hate to hurt this boy's self-esteem by asking him to leave and pointing out he's been held back. His mom knows of my error of letting him join, so to speak. She is not upset and said he could wait a year but I feel he's better off with his peers. What happens when Scouts are held back? Surely they don't expect them to repeat everything and leave his den? Should I say something/ask council or let it be?

[David CO]

You say that you feel he will be better off with his peers.  Who will be his peers?  My guess is that his kindergarten classmates will become his peers.

 

I think you have ample justification for accepting the boy into your den, since the boy started the year in first grade, so I wouldn't worry too much about that side of it.

 

My concern is that next year, his parents may want him with this years group of kindergarten classmates (next years 1st graders) rather than your current group of boys.

 

What will you do then?

 

 

P.S.  Do you know about "redshirting" in kindergarten?

Edited November 10, 2016 by David CO

[qwazse]

I would not split hairs over the regulations.

The boy is a special case. If the boys in the den have already formed these attachments, don't break them over something like this.

Work with the individuals and evaluate the next bridge with the parents when you come to it.

Edited November 10, 2016 by qwazse

[NJCubScouter]

I would let things be as well. If the boy is happy and participating in the den with the boys who are, after all, his peers by age (though no longer by grade), and this is what the parents want, there is no need to change anything. If someone from council notices the "K" and says something, it can be explained that the boy did start the first grade but was moved back to K because of his special needs as determined in his IEP. Once you start mentioning special needs and IEP's I do not think there would be a problem. The council might need to have its "special needs person" bless this arrangement but I think that would almost be a given in this case. (When I say "special needs person", our council has a DE who as a sideline deals with special needs issues. I am not sure what the formal title is, if there is one. I assume other councils have some kind of arrangement for this, if not a DE then someone else.)

[amg4814]

Thank you for the advice. I think I will let it be and if they bring it up then we'll take it from there.

[JasonG172]

Dens are based solely off grade level (at least that's what I have been told)

 

4th Grade is a Bear

3rd Bear

2rd Wolf

1st Tiger

 

If a 2nd grader was held back he still moves with his den to Bear when that time comes.

[Stosh]

Age and grade levels are rather arbitrary to say the least. 

 

My daughter and I have birthdays 3 days apart.  I turned 18 at the beginning of my freshman year of college and she turned 18 at the beginning of her senior year of high school.

 

The awards of Cub Scouting are not progressively building ranks as they are in Boy Scouts.  Keep the boy in the group he was with as a Tiger Cub, regardless of what grade he is in school.  When it comes time to go into Boy Scouts it's based on age and the end of the school year.  Even if he has "failed" one two or three years, when he turns 10 (with AOL) or 11 he's ready for Boy Scouts regardless of his grade in school.