Re: Can only the SM initial requirements in the new handbook?

Bruce McCrea asked:

>If BSA is now requiring Scoutmaster approval for every Scout for every
>requirement, this seems to me to be a major change in policy. In large
>troops, the Scoutmaster would be completely inundated and the New Scout ASM
>and Troop Guides would lose much of their responsibilities.

Yep. Just wait until the new Scouter Guidebook comes out, Bruce!
I've FINALLY gotten my email downloaded (all 4330 of the emails; it's taken
me and my ISP about a day and a half to get it all unstuck!) and your
question has been asked NINE TIMES to me for clarification.

> As several people mentioned in email messages to this list a few weeks
>ago, on page 13 of the 1997 revision of the "National BSA Advancement
>Policies and Procedures" booklet, it states: "A Scout may be tested on
>rank requirements by his patrol leader, Scoutmaster, assistant Scoutmaster,
>a troop committee member, or a member of his troop. The Scoutmaster
>maintains a list of those qualified to give tests and to pass candidates."
>The statements in the new handbook seem to be a significant change from
>this policy.

It is a 90 degree turn from the present policy and is intended to get us back
to something CLOSE to what we had in the 70s. Back then, the Scoutmaster did
sign off on the Scout Handbook (or delegated it to others within his Troop).
The main problem, from what I understand from those serving on those task
forces that went out and "inputted" from Quality Councils, was that parents
had little
"certification" that the Scoutmaster was indeed "tracking their son's
advancement" as they went through the ranks, relying upon youth (which is
GREAT, and which SHOULD BE HAPPENING!!) or software (again, a good way to
track advancement, particularly in those large Troops with more than 40
Scouts!) and they don't really know "what my son needs to do" for the next
rank (which should be little concern to *them* and more of a concern for the
SCOUT involved).

So, the signoff lines have returned to the Handbook.

>On pages 438 to 449 of the new handbook, where the requirements are
>actually initialed, the columns are labeled "Leader initial and date" not
>"Scoutmaster initial and date." Perhaps this means that BSA does not
>intend to limit the authority to initial requirements to the Scoutmaster as
>the other statements seem to indicate.

As I've been told, "Leader initial and date" will mean that the Scoutmaster
will be responsible for signing or delegating the signing to whomever he or
she allows to sign off Scouts; I am hoping that the new Scoutmaster
Fundamentals training course when released will emphasize that YOUTH LEADERS
should be the first line to sign off; if a parent is insistant, then the
Scoutmaster can add his or her initials to those of the Scout's Patrol
Leader or Senior Patrol Leader or other leadership within the Troop.

I'm looking forward to the new Leadership Guide, not just for the format and
content, but because I've FINALLY found the PERFECT binder for it to go into
and to be useful as a combination Handbook/Recordkeeper! *grinning*

Settummanque!

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