scoutldr

The main purpose of the OA is to promote unit camping, although many have lost sight of that fact. Having elections should not be an option of the Unit leader. OA is an integral part of the program and, next to Eagle, is one of the highest honors a Scout can receive. In an ideal world, your Unit Commissioner and OA Chapter Chief should be seeking out those units who have not scheduled elections and making sure it gets done. The Troop should also have an OA Representative as a youth leadership position. Where is the unit committee in all of this?

Welcome to the online campfire! You read my mind. Our council has special CSPs for Silver Beavers, but not Eagles...I have recently started promoting the idea. A Google search on "Eagle Scout CSP" will get you a lot of ideas...some Councils require proof of Eagle to purchase one.

Following is a direct quote. Readers can form their own opinions. I found it interesting that they felt a need to defend their numbers. Perhaps someone in Irving reads our Forum??? From EAGLETTER, Spring 2003: NOTES FROM NESA "We did it! IN 2003, the Boy Scouts of America established a record Eagle Scout Class - 49,328 new Eagle Scouts. Are we excited about more young men earning Eagle Rank? Yes. Do we want to increase the number of Scouts who earn it? Not necessarily. The Eagle Scout Rank is a standard by which a young man's accomplishments are measured. The award is significantly difficult to achieve, and we are not making it any easier to earn. We belive that the BSA's youth retention efforts are to thank for this surge in new Eagle Scouts. We are proud to process these new Eagles, and we recognize that the real pats on the back belong to parents, Troops, and motivated young men who work for this honor. Congratulations and thanks to all who helped a young man become an Eagle."

As a District Committee person, I have been asked by the Adv Chairman to serve as the District rep on an Eagle BOR next week. Any tips for a first-timer? I am an Eagle, but don't remember much from my BOR in 1970.

Never one to remain "defiantly ignorant", I checked and Ed is correct, HIPAA (correct acronym) does not apply to BSA since they are not a "covered entity" (do not accept or transmit payment for health care or transmit medical information electronically...yet). However...if I ever find out that personnel OTHER THAN the camp medic have free access to my medical information, the Scout Executive and I are going to have a very unpleasant, pretty much one-way discussion.

Especially under the new HIPAA law, there is NO medical information that you as a leader have a "right" to know, should the parent choose not to share it with you. I know from first-hand experience that there are HIV positive kids (no, NOT my own!) in our schools...and there is NO legal requirement for that information to be disclosed to ANYONE...that means they are in our scout troops as well. That's why Blood Borne Pathogen training should be an integral part of all first aid training and scrupulously followed, no matter how well you think you know your kids and fellow Scouters. My wife's motto (an elementary school nurse): "If it's wet and it's not yours, DON'T TOUCH IT!"

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And, Bob, no one suggested that we would "keep secrets." I said we would explore together the correct course of action... Of course all of this must be taken in context...depending on the situation. Murder is one thing...worrying that you might be gay at the ripe old age of 12 is quite another. Next week they will be on to some other "crisis of conscience". What I am hearing on this thread is tantamount to reading the kid his Miranda rights before every SM conference. (Anything you say may be passed on to your parents!) I guess I am tainted by my public health training...my first job was running VD (now STD) clinics for the state health department (yes, I was a CDC-trained counsellor). We were PROHIBITED by law from telling parents and we had a legal obligation to interview, test and treat minors WITH OR WITHOUT the parent's knowledge and consent. If the kids knew we would run blabbing to their parents, they would never show up for treatment and the STD rates would sky-rocket. Sometimes the good of the population outweighs the rights of the individual. "Scouting is no longer a safe haven"? Do you have a reference for that? As a trainer, I want to be able to quote BSA policy accurately.

According to our Council Calendar, the next months BS themes, through December are: Emerg Preparedness Health Care Boating/Canoeing Safety Nature Business First Aid

Scouting is supposed to be a "safe haven". If a scout is troubled, and thinks I am the one who can help him, I am going to listen. That's my job, and I hope other leaders would do the same for my sons. After I hear what the problem is, he and I together will decide what to do. I will never turn away a child in need. That's neither Christian nor Scout-like. Y'all can debate till the cows come home, but to me, it's never been a question. "to help other people at all times..."

KS, I hope that the "spare inhalers" you carry are ones prescribed for those individual kids. Ergo, if you have two asthmatics, you will need two "spares"...one for each kid. UNless you are an MD, it is illegal to give them medication that was prescribed for someone else, even if you "think" it is the same drug and same dosage, etc.

Yeah, 100% cotton is great...but I hope you know how to use an iron!

I do the same thing...I make many checks out to "Boy Scout Troop XXX" during the year, and take the deduction, as long as it's a legitimate donation and not things that benefit me such as camp fees, popcorn, etc. A Scout is Trustworthy. I don't cheat. If ever audited, I will show my receipts, explain what I did and why, and if the IRS chooses to disallow the deduction, I will pay the additional tax. That's a chance I'm willilng to take, as in the past when I have dealt with the IRS (over my Mother's estate), I have found them to be friendly, helpful, fellow Civil Servants. (no, I don't work for the IRS!) My non-legal advice is "proceed until apprehended" but let the Scout Law be your guide. As long as their is no intent to defraud, I think it's OK.

If the parents choose not to share that information, I don't think you can be held responsible for consequences. Fortunately, with ADD/ADHD, lack of medication is not a life-threatening situation.

We make the trip every winter over the MLK day weekend. We stay in cabins at Camp Hidden Valley, Landisburg, PA, Keystone Area Council. The kids love the camp, and this year, we had snow, although the temp was around 15 degrees, making the battlefield trip a little brisk. We made two trips, one to Gettysburg battlefields and the second day to Roundtop Ski resort. From the camp, it's about a 30 minute drive to either location.

If I voluntarily provide my own health information to the Camp Medical staff, that's not illegal. If I give the information about my Scouts to the camp staff, that may be illegal, unless I have a consent form from the parent. Then the Council must safeguard the information to insure it is not released to a third party for purposes which I did not authorize (like to non-medical camp staff). I think if the medical forms are locked in a file cabinet in the Health Lodge, with only the Medical staff having access, that would suffice. Perhaps a change to the Health and Medical forms to include consent to disclose would be in order. I'm not a lawyer...each Council needs to consult their Counsel for guidance. I work in a medical setting, and we were trained that anything that can identify an individual's health status is considered protected information, and there are stiff penalties for advertant or inadvertant disclosure without specific consent from the individual. The good news is that the hospital candy-striper can no longer look in the computer to see why her neighbor's REALLY in the hospital (been there).

The state (I mean "Commonwealth") flower is the Flowering Dogwood, so how about the Dogwood Council. No, wait...that will offend the cats. How about resurrecting "Old Dominion Council"? That council merged with the Peninsula Council (whose Kecoughtan Lodge flap contained not one, but two Conf Battle Flags) to form the Colonial Virginia Council. Wanna bet how many Scouts and SCouters refuse to give up their REL CSPs in favor of the new ones? Civil Disobedience...a fine patriotic custom.

Why not "honor" these old timers with the title of "Emeritus"? Let them keep their Commissioner patches, but add an Emeritus strip (like the Trained strip) under the patch. Meanwhile, find new, energetic Commissioners and assign them units to work.

As an adopted Virginian, I have recently learned that my wife and sons have Confederate veterans in their ancestry. While I believe slavery was wrong and immoral, it was an accepted practice of the time. In fact, in Africa, people of color also owned and sold slaves. Those confederate soldiers fought and died for a cause they believed in and for a state they loved. How many today are willing to voluntarily die for their beliefs? Will history be any kinder to those who fought and died in the Vietnam war, or the Gulf war or the war of "Iraqi Freedom". Today's geat patriotic cause is tomorrow's immoral atrocity. I'll suggest a more PC alternative..."Powhatan Council". Named after the great Native American chieftain who was the first to introduce regional governments and regional chiefs who were loyal to him(one of whom was "Pipisco" after which the scout reservation is named)...his daughter was Pocahontas, known as Matoaka, who as a teenaged girl did more diplomatically to foster relations between the Colonial invaders at Jamestown and the Native Americans than the UN will ever do.

Peanut soup is a delicacy in SE Virginia. DOn't knock it till you've tried it. Visit the Virginia Diner on Rt 460 in Wakefield and wash it down with a couple of Smithfield ham biscuits and sweet tea. Peanut pie (like pecan pie) for dessert. My grandfather in Pa used to try to feed me fried scrapple...yecccchh. My most admirable leader?...my Explorer advisor in 1970 when the Post became co-ed. What a brave man.

Since Richmond is the site of the White House of the Confederacy , how about: "Jefferson Davis Council"

I always heard it was Tuberculosis, but that may have been the 4th grade Virginia conservative history book version. The idea intrigues me, but from a practical standpoint, after almost 400 years, will there be anything left to bring home? Also, from a Native American standpoint, what are the religious ramifications of disturbing a grave, albeit in England?

A quick Google search revealed that this organization is a pro-hunting/fishing/trapping organization. SInce not all families participate in nor agree with killing animals for sport, I would have to know more about their planned activities.

That one person who signs your charter on behalf of the Chartered Organization (CO) had better know what the liabilities of a CO are, especially if he IS the CO...including being responsible for the proper use of funds and the proper selection and background checking of leaders. That's one reason most PTAs in the country have refused to charter units...too much liability (their perception, whether true or not). If something goes wrong, the Unit is not a legal entity and cannot be sued nor arrested...the CO is, or should be, along with the individual leaders. Under the BSA charter, the unit belongs to the CO...not the committee, the leaders, the parents or the scouts. These are my personal opinions...I am not a lawyer.

Make sure and double check the spelling of names...I found a couple of typos in that list.