robert12

More information, including a FAW, https://www.scoutsforequality.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Adult-Leadership-Standards-Update-and-Resources-for-Key-3.pdf

A few key points

 

 

No adult applicant for registration as an employee or non-unit-serving volunteer, who otherwise meets the requirements of the Boy Scouts of America, may be denied registration on the basis of sexual orientation

 

 

Why doesn’t the entire membership get to vote?
Under the BSA national bylaws, decisions of this nature are the responsibility of the National Executive Committee and Executive Board. This action is in full accordance with the bylaws of the BSA. As the governing body of the BSA, the National Executive Committee and Executive Board will act in the best interest of our organization.

**The vote at the national meeting a couple of years ago in regard to the youth membership standard was not needed, per the Rule and Regulations, and the By-Laws the Executive Board is empowered to do basically what ever they want to.  The purpose of the National Council(the voting members at the national annual meeting) meeting at the national annual meeting is to elect members at large and honorary members of the National Council, and regular members of the Executive Board.

 

 

Will non-religious chartered organizations have an option in this matter?
No, but as they always have, all chartered organizations will select their leaders and can require adult leaders to demonstrate behavior that exemplifies the highest level of good conduct and respect for others. For example, units chartered by the American Legion may allow only veterans to serve as Scoutmasters.

From http://scoutingnewsroom.org/blog/update-on-adult-leadership-standards/

 

 

During the 2015 Boy Scouts of America National Annual Meeting in May, Dr. Gates encouraged the Scouting family to reflect on the challenges, primarily regarding adult leadership standards, facing the BSA and potential alternatives for addressing them.

As a result of the rapid changes in society and increasing legal challenges at the federal, state, and local levels, on Friday, July 10, the Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee adopted a resolution amending the adult leadership standards policy. The resolution was unanimously adopted by those present and voting.
 

This resolution will allow chartered organizations to select adult leaders without regard to sexual orientation, continuing Scouting’s longstanding policy of chartered organizations selecting their leaders. The National Executive Board will meet to ratify this resolution on Monday, July 27.

This change allows Scouting’s members and parents to select local units, chartered to organizations with similar beliefs, that best meet the needs of their families. This change would also respect the right of religious chartered organizations to continue to choose adult leaders whose beliefs are consistent with their own. The 2013 youth membership policy will not be affected and remains unchanged.
 

Scouting will continue to focus on reaching and serving youth to help them grow into good, strong citizens. By focusing on the goals that unite us, we are able to accomplish incredible things for young people and the communities we serve.

According to THIS the resolution that proposed splitting Sea Scouting from Venturing was brought before the National BSA Council and was sent to the Operations Committee for further study, all resolutions presended were sent back to committees for further study. 

Also mentioned on that link is there will be a pilot program for younger participants in Sea Scouts and Venturing that will be rolling out soon.

Not many details, there must be more to this story.  

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/schaumburg-hoffman-estates/news/ct-autism-boy-scouts-lawsuit-met-20150601-story.html

Has anyone heard any update out of the annual meeting on this?

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I wish that when the decision was made a few years ago, that local option would have been the choice.  We already allow the local option for almost everything else in terms of BSA leaders, why not this?>>

 

 

 

Because the Supreme Court decision said that the BSA's policy could be sustained because it was consistantly enforced nationwide.

 

Since BSA is allowing local councils to get away with homosexual adult leaders,  that protection very likely is already gone.  I suspect that's why Gates said that the courts would likely force BSA to admit homosexuals before long.

 

 

Personally, I'm not espcially antagonistic to homosexuals.  My bias is that BSA should be free to decide for itself it's membership standards.  Unfortunately,  that right seems to be evaporating pretty rapidly.

 

That's a fact of life I don't much like,  but which we all are likely going to have to deal with.

You hit the nail on the head, I believe with the 2013 change the BSA lost its assertion that "that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the values it seeks to instill", without this assertion the Dale case would have been lost.

Below is a quote from the majority opinion in BSA v. Dale:

Dale’s presence in the Boy Scouts would, at the very least, force the organization to send a message, both to the youth members and the world, that the Boy Scouts accepts homosexual conduct as a legitimate form of behavior

This troubles me on so many levels and as a Southern Baptist I am really confounded on what to think, sorry for the ramblings, just so much going through my head.

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Here is the Voice of the Scout survey that was conduced in 2013("current policy" stated below was the pre 2014 policy)

• Respondents support the current policy by a 61 percent to 34 percent margin.
• Support for the current policy is higher at different program and volunteer levels in the organization:

—50 percent of Cub Scout parents support it; 45 percent of Cub Scout parents oppose.

—61 percent of Boy Scout parents support it.

—62 percent of unit leaders support it.

—64 percent of council and district volunteers support it.

—72 percent of chartered organizations support it.

72% of the chartered organizations supported the previous policy, 72% of the BSAs "customers" were happy with the previous policy and they change it.

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I have realized that this is driven by the almighty dollar.

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After reviewing of the Bylaws and the Rules and Regulations of the BSA it appears to me that changes of the membership standards do not appear have to be voted on at the national meeting.

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I am not sure what I will do if they change the standards of membership.  What keeps running through my head is that the BSA will be open to everyone, just like almost every organization.  But then again, is the reason I support the BSA is its beliefs?  

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While my beliefs are clear on homosexuality, there is even some varying beliefs among Baptists.  My morally straight, might not be your mortally straight.  But do I want my children exposed to your morally straight??

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I believe change is imminent, the only way to keep this from happening is from a push by the chartered organizations.  They would have to push to elect council presidents, commissioners and local council representatives against the change, and they would have to elect a national president and board members who are against a change.  Short of that, it will happen.

With the newly released 2015 revision of the Guide to Advancement(G2A), there are some major changes coming to Sea Scouts, pending a vote at the National Annual Meeting next month.(http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/04/23/2015-guide-to-advancement-out-now-here-are-13-of-the-biggest-changes/ states these changes are "pending a vote in May", I assume this is at the National Annual Meeting).

The changes are listed under "1.0.3.0 Significant Changes":

Does anyone else think there is a bit of a double standard between 4.2.3.5 that prohibits video conferences for Scoutmasters Conference and 8.0.1.6 that allows it for Boards of Review.

I do undersand the YPT aspect of video conferencing a Scoutmasters Conference, but I see many ways around it.

From :http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/04/23/2015-guide-to-advancement-out-now-here-are-13-of-the-biggest-changes/

*Updated: This change is pending a vote in May.

Mozartbrau, This was just announced last week.  They still have to get the staff in place, and if they do it like they did in the Great Smoky Mountain Council they will have to build out a "Vortex", a mobile lab, though I believe national is going to help with that.  IMHO they still have months before the program will be up an running in these new councils.

https://stemscouts.org/stem-mobile-lab/

Rick,  The way things have been presented here in the first pilot council, this is a BSA program, not LFL.  Thing may have changed, but I heard of such.  Membership will count towards the traditional numbers,  and all membership standards of the BSA apply.  As Vol stated, this has no bearing on the OA as this is not part of the Boy Scout program.

As of right now there is no advancement program, but I understand this is something they are working on.

A bit more info.

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/04/15/stem-scouts/

With the new forums I could not log into my account, click23, so I have a new one.

"An after-school STEM education program, piloted in East Tennessee by the Great Smoky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America, will now be offered in other parts of the country. STEM Scouts, which encourages interest in science, technology, engineering and math through fun hands-on learning and interaction with STEM professionals, will be expanding to 12 other Boy Scouts of America councils starting this fall."

http://bsa-gsmc.doubleknot.com/document/stem-press-release-april-15-2015/149169