Scout Actions Splitting Unit

[Gonzo1]

Bob White,

I suppose some of it is a judgement call. That is, if it is a serious enough infraction, either call the parents and send them home OR, call the police and send them to jail. Then, once the adult leaders on the group have taken sound, swift and timely action, the committee can sort it out.

 

I for one would not allow hoodlums to remain. The 1% or 2% of the scouts who need 98% of the attention are a drain on the adult and the system as a whole and in this case need to go and probably should have been tossed sooner.

 

G

[NeilLup]

Enough is enough. These young men would appear to have gone way over the line.

 

I would recommend suspending them from membership. I would say that they are removed from the rolls of the unit. If the COR permits and that it totally up to the COR, I would say that if they wish to be reinstated after at least 6 months, they must petition the unit and the chartered organization to be permitted to return under conditions to be determined by the unit. If they desire a transfer, they will receive transfer papers but the unit will contact their new unit and describe the conditions under which they left the unit.

 

Perhaps these are young men who can really benefit from Scouting. However, first you need to get their attention. And, most important, you need to protect the Troop, the other Scouts and the chartered organization.

[Bob White]

There is no such thing as "suspended membership" in the unit. They are either on the roster for the unit or they are off.

 

You can suspend their participation but not their membership.

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[NeilLup]

My recommendation would be that during the period of suspended membership, they would be off the roster.

[Bob White]

Just so others are clear and not mislead as to the workings of BSA membership...your recommendation is that he is removed from membership, and unless he rejoins this unit or another unit is not a BSA member. The time he spends outside of membership does not count toward tenure, unlike time spent as a member of a unit but suspended from participation as a condition of a disciplinary action would be.

[evmori]

If the CO wants the boys out, that is their prerogative. Afterall, it is their unit.

[SMT224]

Expel the offending Scouts immediately. A SM can do this for such gross violation of not only the Scout Law, but Camp and local laws as well. Your Troop will be much better off without these kind of boys. BSA really is not "Baby Sitters of America"! We are not social services bound to take care of the disruptive and criminally intent.

 

Several years ago, we had two very disruptive brothers in our Troop who did not want to be in Scouting. Their parents were very active in the Troop, and forced the boys to be in Scouting. The result was two kids who did all they could to disrupt meetings and activities. I was a very new and very unexperienced Scoutmaster, and bought into the parental excuses for the boys behavior. Their behavior became worse and worse until we caught them committing a severe act of vandalism that cost the Troop nearly $1000 in damages. The boys were steadfast in their denials despite being caught red-handed. Their parents supported their innocence and refused to pay for any of the damage. Before they could be expelled, they all quit the Troop.

 

Once these bad boys were gone, the climate of the Troop changed significantly for the better. The behavior of these two boys affected everything in a very negative way, and their departure was like the sun coming out after a bad storm. The other Scouts noticeably relaxed, as these kids were real bully's as well (something I had not realized, as I was so focused on their disruptive behavior). In retrospect, and as a lesson hard learned, I should have called them out for the minor stuff before it got out of control. All Scouts need to know that behavior outside of the Scout Law will not be tolerated. Not dealing with it lets them know they can do more of the same.