From: Michael Kauffmann (optimist@MERITBADGE.COM)
Date: Thu Sep 07 2000 - 14:20:52 CDT
Hi Folks,
As usual, Paul makes some excellent and accurate points.
However, a couple of other thoughts also come into play.
First (from ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES):
As a practical approach to providing merit badge
counselors, troop and team committees may establish
their own lists of counselors, if necessary, at least
for the required and more popular merit badges.
Second (from Boy Scout Requirements Y2K):
Your Scoutmaster will give you the name of a person
from a list of counselors.
The first quote gives the troop the right to develop its own
merit badge counselor list and the second quote gives the
Scoutmaster final say on what merit badge counselor will be
used. If the Scoutmaster (ie troop) doesn't approve of a
particular counselor, they will not be used. Even so, all
merit badge counselors approved by the troop must still be
approved at the district / council level.
As to your original question, [Are merit badge counselors
considered district- or council-level Scouters and therefore
do not require the approval of a troop CC and COR?] the
answer is both YES and NO. If the merit badge counselor is
recruited at the district and/or council level, applications
DO NOT have to be signed off at the troop level. If the merit
badge counselor is recruited by the troop, he must go through
the normal troop level approval procedure. Why? The same
reason all adults must go through this process. Youth
Protection. Whoever recruits the merit badge counselor is
responsible for checking them out and signing off on them.
"Paul S. Wolf" wrote:
>
> >From ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES (33088C), under
> "Qualifications of Counselors":
>
> Register merit badge counselors by using the basic adult
> registration form. All merit badge counselors must be
> approved by the council advancement committee. Merit
> badge counselors are not required to pay a fee if they
> are only registered as merit badge counselors.
>
> Also, under "Maintaining a Current List of Merit Badge Counselors", it
> says:
>
> Lists are updated at least once a year, usually when
> councils and districts reregister.
> and
> Merit badge counselors (Code 42) are registered with
> the local council. As with all council members, their
> registration must be renewed annually.
>
> That sure sounds like they are Council level Scouters, which do NOT
> require Unit level approvals. If it required a unit level approval, it
> would say so.
--
YIS,
Dr Michael Kauffmann, DCS mailto:optimist@meritbadge.com
Merit Badge Research Center http://www.meritbadge.com/
I used to be a Bobwhite... And a good 'ol Staffer, too...
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