What is the protocol?

[ItsBrian]

22 minutes ago, ScoutMama43 said:

I believe so. He just bridged so I am not 100% sure.

It could be a power move, I feel like this wouldn’t happen so quick if it wasn’t someone with power in the troop.

[Jameson76]

Wow there is a lot wrong here.  Only speaking for our unit but actually kicking someone out has only happened once in maybe 20+ years

In that instance the Scout was asked to not return after multiple meetings with the parents, a suspension from outings, suspension for a period and no improvement.  IMHO an expulsion from the troop should not come as a surprise to the affected.

We have of course had issues between Scouts.  In all cases there have been conversations with the SM, CC, parents, and the Scout.  Key is to get all the detail and as many have said, insure you have an informed, fair, and impartial decision.  Main goal is to keep the Boy Scout active in the troop.

[David CO]

1 hour ago, ScoutMama43 said:

My son supposedly threatened to kill him. My son says that he got angry and said that his parents would kill him if his new equipment was lost. 

Ambiguous pronouns. Does the highlighted him (in the quote box) refer to your son or the 1st year scout?

 

Edited May 25, 2018 by David CO

[David CO]

47 minutes ago, FireStone said:

This is something you're going to have to probably take up the ladder, contacting your District Executive and Council Exec. 

If this letter is coming from the district/council, it is already going up the ladder. This may be the problem.

If this letter is coming from the unit/Chartered Organization, it really isn't appealable to district/council executives. It's a unit matter.

[David CO]

I wonder if the Chartered Organization is a school. There are some new rules in schools relating to students making a terrorist threat. This is a reaction to the recent school shootings. If someone is accusing the scout of making a terrorist threat, this could be a big deal.

[an_old_DC]

31 minutes ago, HashTagScouts said:

I would find it strange if a Chartered Org sent a letter such as that, and it was not they who contacted you.  I would wait to see the actual letter and what it may/may not outline as far contact information or any next steps it outlines.   To ban from all BSA activities would seem to indicate to me that it is coming from Council (with National's knowledge)- a troop/CO itself cannot ban from all BSA activities, only those they coordinate (troop meetings, troop campouts, etc.).  They can't ban a registered scout from say council merit badge college or order of the Arrow weekends, for example.     

 

I would like to know who the letter is actually from, if it does show up.

I have worked with troops when the committee wanted to ban a Boy Scout from all BSA activities--and they were really upset when they found out they have no such authority.

Then again, I helped a unit when a Boy Scout was banned from all BSA activities by National while they investigated the events in question. However, there had been multiple SM and SM/CC conferences with the Scout before Council and National became involved, so the ban was not a surprise. BTW, National eventually decided things were not quite as they had been portrayed and the ban was lifted. Those letters all came from an attorney with National.

Also, technically, the Scout in question is removed from Scouting, and therefore is ineligible from participating, but people always want to use "ban." This makes me wonder if a unit is overstepping its authority as a letter from a BSA attorney would use "membership has been revoked" to describe the situation, rather than "ban."

Edited May 25, 2018 by an_old_DC
clarity

[an_old_DC]

7 minutes ago, David CO said:

If this letter is coming from the unit/Chartered Organization, it really isn't appealable to district/council executives. It's a unit matter.

@David CO I believe we were posting simultaneously. The COR can certainly remove the Scout from its unit, however it cannot ban the Scout from all BSA activities. If the COR removes the youth, he certainly could join a different unit--if he wants.

[ScoutMama43]

My son told the other scout that we would kill him (our son) if his new equipment was lost. According to my son he never threatened the other boy. 

[ScoutMama43]

42 minutes ago, David CO said:

Ambiguous pronouns. Does the highlighted him (in the quote box) refer to your son or the 1st year scout?

If your son said that you, or any other person, would hurt the first year scout on your son's behalf, it is still just as much of a threat as would be if he had said that he would do it himself. If this is the case, your son should be in trouble. He's guilty.

If he did threaten to harm the boy I agree he should be in trouble. But he is claiming that he never threatened the boy at all.

[FireStone]

1 minute ago, ScoutMama43 said:

If he did threaten to harm the boy I agree he should be in trouble. But he is claiming that he never threatened the boy at all.

Even if that's the case and he did threaten the other boy, the severity of the response isn't justified. This is a "warning" scenario, maybe a sit-down discussion at most. 

Edited May 25, 2018 by FireStone

[T2Eagle]

We sometimes assume knowledge that not everyone has.  So let me lay out what the hierarchy is in Boy Scouts.

Your troop is sponsored by a Chartering Organization (CO) this is some sort of local community organization, I think by the numbers it is probably a church, it can also be a school, or some civic organization like an Elks Lodge, VFW Post, American Legion, etc.  This is probably where your troop meets.  That CO has an agreement with the local BSA Council to carry out the scouting program.  The local Council is the area representation of the Boy Scouts of America, their name is what's on the shoulder of your son's uniform.  They will have a local office, and they are headed by a paid professional known as a Scout Executive (SE).

The CO can determine who is and is not allowed to be in their troop, if they don't want you there it's up to them.  They don't need a good reason, they don't need any reason, they are in charge of their own membership and answer to no one above the organization regarding who's in their troop.

As DavidCO mentioned above, some schools, and probably some other organizations now, have a zero tolerance policy towards threats.  My own son ran into this and the response and fallout was nuts. Lose your temper and use the magic words and it doesn't matter whether everybody involved understands there was no actual threat involved, the system takes its course like a runaway train. Luckily this was before the very latest school shootings or the outcome, which was bad enough, probably would have been even worse.   If this is the situation your son is in you should be very careful.

It sounds like what is being decided here is within your troop.  If that's the case, there's no appeal process beyond your CO, and frankly it's probably not worth pursuing that.  You should contact your local council, ask to speak with your SE and find out about joining another troop.  Hopefully there is more than one troop near you and their leadership may either be more willing or more free to make considered judgments than your current troop.

Edited May 25, 2018 by T2Eagle

[David CO]

9 minutes ago, ScoutMama43 said:

My son told the other scout that we would kill him (our son) if his new equipment was lost. According to my son he never threatened the other boy. 

Good. Now some over-zealous social worker can come after you for posing a threat to your son. That's much better.

[ScoutMama43]

Exactly. 

[T2Eagle]

I just reread your original post, you said someone told you the investigation was ongoing and would take several months.  That might just be someone being officious, but if it actually means that the local police have been contacted and are involved, you should get a lawyer.  If things have gotten that far, no one but you are going to be concerned about the well being of your son, and you should frankly trust no one who may tell you differently.

 

[ScoutMama43]

We asked and no police were involved. We asked if there were witnesses and were told no. Only the accuser has been spoken with.