Eagle732

I'm a big proponent for Scared Straight programs. I've threatened my own kids with an evening at the morgue ( I know the Med Examiner) if I ever catch them drinking and driving. I think graphic examples are what gets through to today's boys. They see so much on TV and video games that you have to get go to extremes at times to get the point across. I have no problem with having an officer show up in uniform and giving "The Talk" in order to set a boy straight. Often calling the law is a judgement call and that's why we make the big bucks. I would not be too quick to make the call though. Several years ago during a troop outing we had a boy set fire to a trash can in the bathroom of a building while the rest of the troop was upstairs sleeping. Fortunately another scout had gotten up to use the bathroom and was waiting for the young arsonist to come out and raised the alarm. Otherwise I'm afraid to think of what could have happened. The SM and CC were both present but no disciplinary action was taking. No charges were filed but maybe they should have been in this case.

You right it was Jan 28th. It was on the news this morning and brought back memories but yes Jan 28.

I was standing on the beach in Titusville. Living in Orlando I had seen many launches, the people around me, tourists, thought what they were seeing was normal. I remember saying "It's never done that before, somethings wrong" I picked up my 35mm cameral with zoom lens and started taking pictures because I knew I was witnessing history. Very sad. That vapor trail hung in the sky hours. (didn't mean to put this in the Camping & High Adventure forum)

25 years ago today we lost 7 astronauts in the Challenger accident. Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka was an Eagle Scout. Also another interesting fact: One of the items flown in STS-51-L's flight kit was an American Flag sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 514 of Monument, Colorado. Their scoutmaster, William Tolbert (A major in the USAF space command), ordered the flag and arranged for it to be flown over the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., then flown on the space shuttle during STS-51L. However STS-51L ended in disaster as the space shuttle Challenger was destroyed. Later divers found the the flag, still completely intact and sealed in a plastic bag. The flag was returned to Boy Scout troop 514 in a special ceremony, presented by astronaut Guy Bluford (Also an Eagle scout). Where were you 25 years ago today?

Do scouts sign up for MBs before they go to Jambo or when they get there? So what I'm getting from all this is that Scouts must have approval from their SM except: When they are not with their troop (Jambo, Philmont). When they're working at a scout camp since they're dual registered with a crew during their employment, they have another unit leader they can get the signature from. When an opportunity to earn a MB comes up and it's not convenient to get a signature (last minute opportunity to joining a another troop for a MB class) When a Scout completes a MB and has a signature from the MBC without the knowledge of his SM (can't revoke a MB after signature). I like to keep things simple. My policy will continue to be you need my signature before you start working on a MB unless you've got a REAL good reason why you couldn't. I think that covers it!

Summer Camp two years ago the Sheriff shows up and carts away a boy who apparently threatened another scout with rape. A few months ago during a troop meeting a sibling of a scout punched one of my scouts in the face for no apparent reason. Scout's parent was very unhappy. I called him the next day and discussed how I had decided to handle the situation. Parent told me that if I hadn't called him and he wasn't satisfied with how it was handled he would have filed charges. As a leader I would be very reluctant to call the law, but as a parent I would not be so reluctant. At what point does physical abuse between scouts become a YP issue and therefore must be reported?

Sounds like a reasonable conclusion.

fred, when I said "Well if a boy is going to be halfway across the country he should know before he leaves what MBs he'll be working on" I was referring to this statement by qwazse: "The kid shouldn't be required to shuttle blue cards halfway across the country if there's a responsible adult that can fill in for an SM, but an SM should be kept in the loop." I made that statement with the assumption that any Scout that's working on MBs half way across the country is at one of the High Adventure bases since we generally don't just send scouts off thousands of mile for any other reason. Now if a scout is going to Philmont he probably knows in advance that he's going to take a few MBs like Backpacking and Hiking. Get the cards signed before you leave. If something comes up while he's there than go for it, I'll sign when he gets back. It's just common sense. We're here to help kids not put road blocks in the way for them to stumble over! I'm not here to limit of restrict boys earning merit badges. In your scenario where one troop meets up with another that's working on a MB then wouldn't the SM or an ASM be there to sign a card? Our policy is no work counts until a BC is signed (with SM approved exceptions). Two years ago I got a call from one of my scouts working at the same camp asking me if he could get some blue cards for a few MBs he wanted to take while there for the summer. I drove to camp and delivered them to him that day. Now your point about scouts being dual registered for Jambo or High Adventure camps is an interesting one. I'd like to hear some other opinions on that. GTA page 76 Clause 12 Examination in camps, I believe refers to having counselors use youth staff to instruct MBs. GTA 7.0.4.6 "Once a registered and approved counselor has passed a Scout on requirements for a merit badge, it cannot be taken away." - ONLY CLEAR STATEMENT ON THE TOPIC - So if a process was violated but the MBC approved the badge, this seems to say it's a done deal. You can't take it away just because the SM did not sign the card." So you're saying that a scout can disregard national, council, district policy (according our DAC) and the unit's policy regarding having approval by the SM prior to beginning a MB and as long as he gets a card signed by the MBC it's good? If I thought it was a DELIBERATE attempt to circumvent policy I would request the unit's AC not submit the MB. And then the scout and I would have a talk. Again, I just want to know what the policy is. It doesn't sound like it very clear and there's a lot of room for interpretation.

This should really add to the confusion of what PFD means at family events Personal Flotation Device, a device designed to keep a wearer afloat Partial Fraction Decomposition, a process used to reduce the degree of the numerator or denominator of a fraction Phase Frequency Detector, a device which compares the phase of two input signals Primary Flight Display, a modern aircraft instrument dedicated to flight information Probability of Failure on Demand, see Safety Integrity Level Process Flow Diagram, a diagram of the general flow of plant processes and equipment Prepared For Dyeing, a fabric or garment that is specially made to be dyed Pelvic Floor disorder or Postpartum Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PPFD), a group of clinical conditions Professional Disc, recordable optical disc format (This one's a stretch)

About paddles: I called Carlisle today about paddles and the regional sales guy hooked me up with a local distributor who sold me their Economy paddles for $12.50 each plus shipping. Apparently this is a program for businesses and groups and the factory sales guy has to set up the deal for you. Meritbadge.com, which sites the 2012 Boy Scout Requirement book as its source refers to PFDs or Personal Flotation Devices five times in the requirements.

So upon further reading I see you son was struck by 17. So when will you be pressing charges? I would seriously consider it especially if son is a few years younger. Also I would also be visiting the Charter Organization Rep.

Exactly! Parents called and 17 gets a ride home! I didn't even have to get through reading #2 to figure this out! Putting duct tape on the mouths of people while they're sleeping is dangerous and could be considered battery if a parent wanted to push it.

tram, does your troop have a "no parent sign off policy" in writing? We do but I wonder if it's enforceable if a ASM parent pushed it. Of course an ASM pushing against the SM might cause unintended consequences!

Apparently PA has a program for high school kids.

Well if a boy is going to be halfway across the country he should know before he leaves what MBs he'll be working on and get my signature. But the reality is I'm not going to know who the MBC is going to be anyway, but I should still know what the Scout is doing. I'm not looking to limit or discourage, just want to know what the policy is. Seems there's lots of differing opinions.

Gee fred I had to answer no to at least half of your questions. Good thing I never claimed to run a troop using the "Boy Led" method Nope, we use the "Patrol Method" We transitioned form the Boy Led troop to the Patrol Method a few years ago when I got word from my COR that he didn't agree with the Boy Led method. Now everybody's happy!

More info here: http://citizencorps.gov/cert/about.shtm

Anyone ever had Scouts do CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training?

I no longer sign a blue card until the Scout and I have a discussion and agreement on who the MBC is going to be. The reasons for this are not because of some desire to control the Scout (Helicopter Scouter) but to make sure the scout gets paired up with a MBC that will work with him. Our DAC does not maintain an up to date MBC list. Many times Scouts will call several MBCs off the district list before they get one to agree to take the scout on. Our troop maintains its own list of MBCs, some within the troop but many are not. We know they are willing to work with our scouts. When we don't have a MBC for a subject I just advise the scout to pick several names off the list since some probably won't be doing merit badges any longer, but for the common MBs we use councilors from our list. I've never really cared about how many partials a scout has, I figure that's his responsibility. I've also never told a scout he's not qualified to take a MB, I've always encouraged them. I think the only restriction I put on my scouts is that we don't allow them to take First Aid MB at summer camp. I've seen the instruction there and find it woefully inadequate. Myself and an ASM are far more qualified to counsel that one so we do it in house once a year. By the time they're done they know their stuff and are CPR certified.

Since this has happened I have been very strict with issuing Blue Cards, making sure they are signed before work is done and assigning MBCs. I appreciate the information on who signs the BCs under those special circumstances.

CP, For the record the OP described the POR as minor, not me. I mentioned Librarian and Historian because those are two jobs that seem to attract Scouts who don't want any actual responsibility. I'd still like to know what the POR was. If it was Assistant Patrol Leader, well that's a problem.

Just ordered 16 Cabelas Deluxe Adult type 3 PFDs for a total of $180 shipped. They are on sale now with $5 shipping per order. We took chest measurements of all the boys and ended up buying 8 in the S/M/L size and 8 in the XL size. Now on to paddles. I'll call Carlisle (Old Town) tomorrow and see if they'll meet the offer that Mohawk has of $12 each with a minimum order of 12. If not we'll buy Mohawk. Also I a call just before our meeting yesterday from a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary who offered to do a Safe Boating course for the boys for free. He stopped by and spoke with the boys during the meeting and most wanted to sign up.

I copied all the MB cards and presented it to the camp director who said the councilor signatures were legitimate. I did this after another one of my scouts who also worked at camp came to me with concerns. I was just wondering for future reference when scouts go to a High adventure or as part of a provisional summer camp unit. Seems it's OK for the lead adult crew advisor or provisional SM to sign off.

I asked several posts back what the "minor" POR was but that question was not answered. So I'll assume that the "minor" POR was maybe Historian or Librarian and the Scout didn't actually do anything towards the job but got signed of on the requirement anyway.

Don't know especially when I live 5 minutes from the camp. Questions were raised when a Scout comes back from working at our camp for 6 weeks with a dozen merit badges.