Removing a volunteer

[Eagle Foot]

Who has the authority to remove a volunteer from the unit? If you know...show it from BSA, or lead me there...the only thing I can find is from BSA publication Selecting District People, there is a section in the back about removal. It is listed as a "rule of thumb"

 

"The person or group with the authority to appoint a volunteer has the authority to remove and replace that volunteer"

 

It seems to me that the Charter Rep vs institutional head has the authority or maybe both? I'm not real clear in the understanding of who it would be... the Troop Committee or the Charter Rep. Our District Chair says only the Institional head...hope his is right! Our DE...another story...he will get back to ya..ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

 

Edited by: Eagle Foot

 

 

 

 

 

[Eamonn]

My understanding of this is in most cases.The person (position) that did the "Hiring" is the person who should do the "Firing"

While a SE can with good reason revoke the membership of a volunteer. The "Good reason" is normally something big.

At the unit level, the COR can remove a volunteer, he or she would normally ensure that the IH is aware and updated.

They would also inform the SE about what was going on and why.

How this plays out in the "Real World" might depend how a lot of different things.

Ea.

[scoutldr]

In the "chain of command", the Institutional Head (IH) is the head of the organization which "owns" the scout unit. In most cases the authority is delegated to the "COR", who serves at the pleasure of the IH and who should be the liaison between the unit and the CO. How the COR and IH communicate with each other and the unit and delegate the responsibility is up to them. Both of these individuals are listed on the charter. All of the rest of the unit volunteers are approved by, and serve at the pleasure of, the IH/COR. (not the SM or CC or Unit Committee) In a perfect world, of course.

 

(edited for typos)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

[John-in-KC]

What Scoutldr said is true.

 

The Chartered Partner of the unit (church, Kiwanis, Rotary, VFW, PTA...) is the licensee of Scouting from the local Council.

 

The Executive Officer (latest buzzword for Institutional Head) of the Chartered Partner and his/her Chartered Organization Representative are the folks who approve unit serving Scouters.

 

Normally, usually, generally, most of the time, the COR acts in the name of the Chartered Partner.

 

They cannot remove anyone from BSA. That is a Council responsibility. Normally, the limitation is "You are no longer to serve as a (position) in (unit). Do not frequent the premises again during a Scouting event."

 

Now, if there's a disagreement between the IH and the COR, that's a matter for the internal structure of the Chartered Partner. Best advice: If you're not a member of the CP, stay away from internal politics, even if it means leaving the unit.

[Gold Winger]

Removing an adult can be a difficult thing as my son's troop discovered. There was an adult who became abusive and disruptive after his weekend was disrupted to come get his son who was among a number of Scouts who decided to go swimming even though the no swimming flag was flying ("Stay out of the water or you'll go home"). Dad came to get Junior and started cursing at the SM and ASM for not watching the kids every minute of the day (at the time, Junior was a 15 year old Life Scout), he long thought that BSA had to do with BabySitters.

 

After that, he became disruptive at troop meetings so the committee decided to take action. He was told that his conduct was on the agenda of the next committee meeting. The end result was that the committee decided to remove him from the Committee and tell him that he was no longer welcome at troop functions.

 

Turned out Mr. Happy is friends with the COR who stepped in and said, "Nope, you can't do that. I don't care what he's done."

 

 

[John-in-KC]

GW,

 

And that's where you ask your DE and District Commissioner to pay a business call on the IH...

[evmori]

Good point Gern. And come charter time, don't recharter this individual.

[scoutldr]

"And come charter time, don't recharter this individual"

 

Again, the final decision on that is the IH/COR...not the Committee. The committee can only recommend.

[click23]

Eagle Foot,

 

Take a look at this, http://netcommish.com/MCS407.doc, I am pretty sure it is taken verbatim from the "How To Remove A Volunteer" chapter in the "Commissioner Fieldbook for Unit Service". This capter is a bit more in depth than the "Selecting District People".

 

For CC, MC, ASM, and SM it would be the COR or the IH, for the COR it is the IH.

 

It is the chartering organizations troop, no one can tell them to accept a leader or scout that they do not want. If the IH says no, that is the final word.

 

You might also want to have the CC or COR hand deliver a letter, on the chatering organizations letterhead from the IH, to your councils registrar informing the council that said person is no longer a member of the troop and would like their membership in the troop revoked.(This message has been edited by click23)

[ASM857]

I have been part of a volunteer removal

1.We contacted the SE presented the facts

2.SE agreed set up meeting with COR & CC

3.Everyone agreed called individual in for meeting

4. Membership revoked email to all parents advising So & So stepped down new Cubmaster is ***

 

If this can be prevented I would recomend not going down this path. Because it has taken 3 years t get the faith back and stop all the rumor mongering.

 

My .02

YIS

Doug

[Bob White]

Do not confuse revoking membership with removing a person from a position of from a unit.

 

The unit has no authority to revoke BSA membership. They can however remove a person from a position or from the unit roster.

 

The SE has no authority to remove someone from a unit but can revoke their BSA membership. The unit has no authority in this action.

 

These are two separate actions.

 

If a unit chooses to remove a person from the unit the individual is still registered with the BSA until his or her membership year is over. Removing them from the unit does not revoke BSA membership. The person is free to continue in other volunteer roles in the BSA at any level including in another unit, and is still eleigible to continue as a BSA member in the future.

 

BSA membership revocation is a different matter. Once the membership is revoked the individual may no longer be affiliated with the BSA at any level.

 

The unit is directed to notify the SE if they remove a person from the unit, just as the SE is directed to notify the unit if a volunteer's membership in the BSA is revoked.

 

Since the Committee Chair, and either the CR or the IH, are required to sign every adult application then the authority to remove an adult unit member resides with them.

 

 

[evmori]

Got a question.

 

If an adult is removed (properly, of course) from a unit's charter, then unless they would be listed as a member at large in their district/council wouldn't this also remove their BSA membership? Otherwise, what would they be a member of? That's two questions. Sorry.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Beavah]

Yah, BW's right, BSA membership and unit membership are two different beasts, eh? But often intertwined.

 

Ordinarily, if a unit removes an adult for sufficient cause, da SE will follow the CO's lead and similarly revoke BSA membership. And vice versa.

 

And Ed is similarly correct, if a unit drops an adult then they also lose their BSA membership unless they are dual registered with another unit or district/council. There's no way for an individual to register or maintain registry with da BSA except through annual approval of a CO or BSA division.

 

But to Eagle Foot, da IH and COR each are allowed to "unilaterally" remove a volunteer from their program. If da CO allows such things, the committee can make that recommendation to them (signed by da CC) for their consideration and action.

 

Da "real world" can of course be less straightforward and more entertainin' from time to time.

 

B

 

[click23]

Bob White is correct, I had used the wrong terminology, you would ask that they be removed from the units roster.

[Bob White]

"Ordinarily, if a unit removes an adult for sufficient cause, da SE will follow the CO's lead and similarly revoke BSA membership. And vice versa."

 

 

This is rarely the case. A unit usually removes an adult for reasons such as personality conflicts or simply not getting their job done. Those are not grounds for the BSA to revoke membership.

 

In most the cases I have seen these sorts of volunteers do not have their membership revoked, instead the DE makes them a Unit Commissioner.

 

For membership recovation a person would usually need to violate a BSA policy or in some way be a hazard to youth.