What to do now - how to enforce our Oath and Law?

[vcrew66]

As a teacher, father, leader, and an Eagle, I am in a serious dilemma over what to do about a boy who was removed from our Venturing crew but has been allowed to still pursue Eagle...

 

Situation:

 

A boy who was both a Scout and a Venturer was permanently removed from the Crew due to serious, legal allegations from a female member of the crew that violate the morals set forth in both the Scout Oath and Law. Amazingly, he was still allowed by the Council and District to stay in the troop!! Don't crews and troops both have to abide by the same moral guidelines?!

 

Dilemma:

 

This boy has now been elected into the OA because the confidential information could not/was not shared with the voting members of the troop!! He is also due for his Eagle Board of Review within a year. How can this be allowed to continue?

 

Actions to Date:

I have made my feelings known to the troop SM and Committee Chair, the council office, our DE and Dist. Commissioner - to no avail. They feel I am "over-reacting" and they "don't want anyone to get hurt in all of this..."! It's too late for that: we've now lost two, possibly three crew members over the incident. Our local community knows all about the allegations, and how Scouting appears to be doing nothing about it. The boy's family has some serious pull in our small village, and it's my guess most everyone is too afraid to go up against them. I hate to be so persistent, but what is right - is right.

 

ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

[Eamonn]

Of course I don't have or know the full story.

 

A Scout Executive can revoke the BSA membership of a member.

This isn't something that is done without just cause and is as a rule only done for very serious offenses.

You don't post if the Crew and the Troop share the same CO or not?

I would be very surprised to hear that a Lad was removed from a Crew and not a Troop if both the Troop and Crew were chartered by the same chartered partner.

SE's as a rule do not get involved in what happens at the unit level. So while I am sure the removal of the Lad from the Crew was done by the book, following all the correct guidelines and procedures. The Lad was only removed from that unit.

As long as his membership has not been revoked he is still free to be a member of the BSA and entitled to all the benefits of membership.

It would be up to the CO of the Troop to decide if what happened with the Crew would have any effect on his standing in the Troop. They could decide that because of what happened in the Crew that they no longer want him in the Troop.

Of course the Lad could still join another Troop or Crew and continue to work toward Eagle Scout rank and still be elected into the OA.

Please don't think I'm picking on you!! I'm not and really don't intend too.

But Leaders are to deliver the program matters of discipline are managed by committees. Who is allowed to join a unit? Is up to the CO.

If I were you I'd just move on and continue to serve the youth that I can by delivering the best program possible to them.

Eamonn.

[John-in-KC]

What Eamonn said! Unless you are a member of the Chartered Partner of both units, or a Scouter serving the Troop in particular, you've done what you should.

[vcrew66]

Thanks for the sage words of wisdom. I'm entering my 20th year in Scouting, and I'm still amazed by how things can be interpreted totally differently, even if innocently, by two leaders in the same district/council/unit.

 

Our crew and the troop have two different CO's, but I am almost 100% sure the troop CO knows nothing about the incident. Oh well.

 

As you've put, it's time to move on and keep moving up with a quality program. All I plan to do from here is make a simple statement to the Board of Review, and the let the boy's conscience be the guide from there when they start asking him questions about the issue.

 

Thanks again.

[nldscout]

If this was a serious as you say, why was charges not prefered with the police? The answer to your delema is to have him arrested for a sex crime, then the SE will have no choice but to bounce him.

 

This is another example of why well meaning folks should let the law do its job instead of trying to cover stuff up.

 

[vcrew66]

This situation WAS referred to our local law authorities, but the girl's parents who were involved did not want to press charges, and therefore no "sound evidence" was found.

 

Remember, the boy's membership with the crew was permanently revoked (he was allowed to resign with this knowledge). The TROOP he is a member of still has done no action as of yet.

 

My dilemma is how much I know whom to believe in this situation (the girl), but no one seems to trust me enough to go beyond what has already been done and revoke his membership in the BSA altogether. How can there be double standards for two different units in the same Scouting organization? If his actions were enough to have his membership permanently revoked in Venturing, it should have been revoked also in Boy Scouts.

 

I'm still confused.

[John-in-KC]

I did not see that part about a possible YP violation.

 

If you have suspicion YP was broken, your duty is simple and direct: Contact your SE. Who, what, when, where, how to the best of your ability.

 

Then, Sir, you are done. Think back to our YP training. Once reported, it is in the hands of statutory reporters in the several States, and we go no further. PERIOD.

[Lisabob]

John may be right but I can certainly understand your discomfort. Perhaps you might decide to re-contact your SE and tell him that you think he has a duty to inform the Troop that this boy's membership in Venturing has been revoked. The SE may decide he doesn't want to, and/or he may decide to inform the troop of the revocation without giving any detail about why (which personally, seems fair to me - you don't really want the SE to be too specific or the girl involved may be doubly victimized here by having her name dragged through the whole business in a more public fashion)

 

Beyond that, I suppose you can refuse to take part in this boy's Eagle process. But otherwise I am not sure where else you could go with the information you have, particularly as the girl's family apparently doesn't wish to pursue this.

[vcrew66]

As noted earlier, everything was done "by the book" re: YP reporting, etc. I guess I'm just still frustrated...but I'm getting over it.

 

I just hate to see our Oath and Law be put aside when things aren't as clear to everyone as they are to a few.

 

Thanks again for the advice.

[nldscout]

Second choice, call your state child abuse hotline.

[Crew21_Adv]

vcrew66,

 

Greetings!

 

 

I'd expect that this young man was removed by the Venturing Crew Committee. That is a decision of the unit. Not the decision of the district or council.

 

I would also expect that a district and council would be appreciative of the information. But I would expect them to act on fact, not allegations or emotions. An allegation is a statement of a fact by a party in a pleading, which the party claims it will prove. Allegations remain assertions without proof, until they are proved.

 

"How can this be allowed to continue?"

Your District Commissioner and District Executive need to separate was is legal from what is emotion. They need to act on what is a legal non-abidance with YPT and G2SS. The should listen, but not necessarily act on what is emotional confidential information. Probably what a judge or lawyer may call "hearsay".

 

As you stated "what is right - is right".

The girl's parents who were involved did not want to press charges, and therefore no "sound evidence" was found."

 

I am neither a lawyer or judge, but I have seen, heard and dealt with similar difference events in the BSA. Legally. The youth has apparently not violated any G2SS or YPT.

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

[Bob White]

1st, it is not a scout leaders role to "enforce" the Oath and Law. Our role is to teach it and be examples of it.

 

2nd, Whether the girl or her family chose to pursue charges is not relevevant to your responsibility to report suspicion of abuse as per the policies and procedures of the BSA Youth Protection program. Nor is it your job to determine if sufficient evidence exists as suggested by a previous poster. Your responsibility is to report if you have a suspicion that abuse took place. Period!

 

It is the responsibility of others to determine if laws were broken and to determine what evidence exists...not you. If you suspect abuse that you are required to report it. It's just that simply.

 

3rd, If you do not suspect that abuse took place then you did all that was within your authority by removing the scout from the unit roster. If you had concerns regarding the scout's behavior and the safety of others then you should have talked to the CR or IH at the charter organization for the scout troop. If you did then you have done all you can. If you didn't then you need to deal with the choice you made.