What are we required to do for scout

[fred8033]

31 minutes ago, Owls_are_cool said:

Isn't it BSA policy that parents (or guardian) must attend meetings with their cubs? Maybe that was a rule the Pack I was associated with had. 

I view parent attendance aligned with a term a girl scout professional taught me years ago:  progressive responsibility.  

• Lions - Parents should be there 100% of the time. 
• Arrow of light cubs - often separate.  
• New Boy scout - mostly separate
• 1st class - almost always separate
• Eagle scout - don't even ask

It's a progression and it often depends on the youth ... and the parent ... lol.

Edited September 22, 2020 by fred8033

[yknot]

2 hours ago, fred8033 said:

I flip back and forth on this.  My experience is that scouting units (packs, troops) need relatively light policy and procedure documents.  Document habits.  When do you meet?  How much are dues and when?  How do you share fundraiser profits?  ... A new parent guide ... Beyond that, I find little need to document policies and procedures. 

RECOMMENDATION:  Resolve the situation first.  Then, outside the situation, discuss whether a policy is needed. 

I've sat in too many committee meetings where hours are spent debating a well written policy that is driven by one or two situations.  Then, after the incident is done, we never touch the policy again.  It's never published.  It's never communicated again.  It really turns out it was a policy for this one incident.   My conclusion:  Don't create policy during problem situations.  You will often end up with policy that you don't want to live with and that others won't follow. 

Queue a policy discussion for later, but don't create the new policy during the situation.  Policies written during situations often become bad policy. 

Sometimes I wonder if discussing policy is the passive aggressive way to handle bad situations that are really best handled clean and upfront.

 

 

I mostly agree with you but I think for situations that could possibly lead to the threat of legal action, and this in my experience is one, it's better to have everything spelled out ahead of time.

 

 

[Eagledad]

34 minutes ago, yknot said:

I mostly agree with you but I think for situations that could possibly lead to the threat of legal action, and this in my experience is one, it's better to have everything spelled out ahead of time.

 

 

Well, I have some experience in almost this exact situation, including the threat of litigation. Unless the pack has done some kind of harm, there is no litigation.

Fred is correct that there are thousands of unit policies hanging out there that nobody knows about because of one-of-kind behavior problems. My best advice is deal with unusual cases individually.

In this case, the problem is the parents wanting a dump off place for their son. There really is no easy answer, either babysit a scout that doesn't want to be there, or tell them no. I's a very sad situation that gets worse as the young man gets older. If the pack doesn't have the manpower to babysit the scout, then they have to draw a line. Based from our experience, I feel sorry for all involved.

Barry

[elitts]

3 hours ago, CynicalScouter said:

Lions must have a parent, per BSA.

I know some packs that have imposed the parent rule at least for the younger ranks.

The pack I was Cubmaster of had the rule that each scout had to have a "responsible adult" that remained on site.  That didn't mean that I didn't occasionally offer to be that "responsible adult" for someone's kid who had to leave, but that was my choice at any given time.  We didn't allow kids to just be randomly dropped off the way we do in Scouts.

[yknot]

2 hours ago, Eagledad said:

Well, I have some experience in almost this exact situation, including the threat of litigation. Unless the pack has done some kind of harm, there is no litigation.

I offered that advice because I was involved in a dispute that wound up before an administrative law judge. While of course it was thrown out, I and everyone else named had to take time off from work to attend multiple hearings. It was stress I did not need while fulfilling a volunteer role and I don't think anyone else wants to be in that position either.

[Eagledad]

16 hours ago, yknot said:

I offered that advice because I was involved in a dispute that wound up before an administrative law judge. While of course it was thrown out, I and everyone else named had to take time off from work to attend multiple hearings. It was stress I did not need while fulfilling a volunteer role and I don't think anyone else wants to be in that position either.

I understand.

In general, there isn't much a unit as a whole can do except to seek advice from council for help against adults welding their lawyer card every time they don't get their way. Or they can give into the parents threat.

The real tragedy of this situation, and the one our unit experience, is that the child is being pushed aside by the parents, and he knows it. What is a young boy supposed to do when he realizes the hopelessness of his future?

Where does the responsibility of the volunteers fit in this situation?

Most adults are good, some aren't. Good volunteers see both, and it leaves scars.

Barry

 

[qwazse]

On 9/22/2020 at 12:49 PM, Momleader said:

... and I can’t put that responsibility into a young teen den chief. 

I will say that certain young teens have a special knack for those especially challenging kids.