Thunderbird

If a council is sponsoring / running the virtual merit badge colleges, then that council is responsible for making sure that those merit badge counselors (MBCs) are properly registered in accordance with the Guide to Advancement.  Any vetting of a MBC that is done, should be done at the beginning of the process -- not at the end (7.0.0.3 The Scout, the Blue Card, and the Unit Leader).

At this point, however, the Scout has already completed the merit badge.  It would be difficult to say no to the Scout now, assuming that the Scout has acted in good faith (I haven't seen anything in the posts so far indicating otherwise):
 

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7.0.4.6 Once It Is Earned, It’s Earned
A Scout who has earned a merit badge from a registered and approved counselor by actually and personally fulfilling the requirements as written will have met the purpose of the merit badge program and the contribution to the aims of Scouting. The Scout may keep the badge and count it toward advancement. See “Personal Growth Is the Primary Goal,” 2.0.0.3. The same holds true if a Scout, without intent to violate national BSA procedures or policies, fulfills merit badge requirements with someone who is not registered and approved as a counselor. This could happen, for example, if a Scout, in good faith, contacts someone who has inadvertently been dropped from a unit or district charter or otherwise has an expired membership, but who remains on an approved list of counselors.

I am not sure what you mean by "install pre-ordered supplies".  Depending on the answer, it might be considered "routine labor", which would not normally qualify as an Eagle service project.  Routine labor is described in the Eagle Scout service project workbook and also in the Guide to Advancement 9.0.2.11 Routine Labor.

Outside of that, I would recommend The Eagle Scout Service Project sections 9.0.2.0 - 9.0.2.16, which describes the process in detail.

26 minutes ago, Sentinel947 said:

Especially if I don't need to publish my data, only the results.

You wouldn't even need to publish the results - just make claims about what the results are.

1 hour ago, Sentinel947 said:

I share @MattRs concern. The program has always been about character building and citizenship development. Camping and outdoor fun is important because it (along with the patrol method) is how we accomplish these bigger goals. 

If Scouting becomes a purely camping club, particularly a family camping club, I have no need to participate. Even if I have kids, I could do cheaper, more robust, less restrictive outdoor activities with them than I can with the Scouts. No juggling other peoples calendars, no sending money to Irving.

Me, too.  We joined for the character building.  Camping and other activities keep the youth interested, but if it becomes just a camping club, then we can do that much cheaper and with no "red tape" on our own.

4 hours ago, Eagledad said:

And why would girls leave venturing for troops? If the boys are leaving because of babysitting, what is the attraction for girls?

Because the girls want to earn Eagle.  All of the girls I know who are in troops are focused on earning Eagle, and most of them want to earn it ASAP.

1 hour ago, Cburkhardt said:

Did not mention this earlier, but not surprisingly, councils can grant advancement extension of 3 months in order for Scout to earn Life and Eagle.

Is that different from what is already posted on the BSA's COVID-19 FAQs page?

https://www.scouting.org/coronavirus/covid-19-faq/
 

I think the answer is a little more complicated, and a Scout / leader / merit badge counselor should read all of section 4.2.3.6 before making a decision on whether to double-count an activity or not.

For example:

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Where matching requirements are oriented toward safety, such as those related to first aid or CPR, the person signing off the requirements should be satisfied the Scout remembers what was learned from the previous experience.

So this is why a kayaking merit badge counselor can make a Scout re-do the BSA swim test, even though the Scout might have already qualified as a swimmer the year before or even have earned the swimming merit badge.
 

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Some requirements may have the appearance of aligning, but upon further examination actually differ. These seemingly similar requirements usually have nuances intended to create quite different experiences. The Communication and Citizenship in the Community merit badges are a good example. Each requires the Scout to attend a public meeting, but that is where the similarity ends. For Communication, the Scout is asked to practice active listening skills during the meeting and present an objective report that includes all points of view. For Citizenship, the Scout is asked to examine differences in opinions and then to defend one side. The Scout may attend the same public meeting, but to pass the requirements for both merit badges the Scout must actively listen and prepare a report, and also examine differences in opinion and defend one side.

The paragraph above could also apply to the campout requirements for Second Class and First Class 1a. vs. the camping merit badge.  The rank requirements for SC/FC 1a. were rewritten in 2016 in such a way that there might be times when a campout can count towards the camping merit badge, but not count as a campout for SC/FC 1a.  For example, if a Scout goes to summer camp and stays in a tent that was pitched by the camp, then it could be counted towards the camping MB, but not be a campout for SC/FC 1a..  The intent seems to have changed a little bit, where SC/FC 1a. seems to be about the Scout gaining some experience putting up / taking down a tent or other shelter, but the camping MB seems to allow for some more flexibility by sleeping "under the sky" or in a tent pitched by the summer camp.

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When contemplating whether to double-count service hours or a service project, and apply the same work to pass a second advancement requirement, each Scout should consider: “Do I want to get double credit for helping others this one time, or do I want to undertake a second effort and make a greater difference in the lives of even more people?” To reach a decision, each Scout should follow familiar guideposts found in some of those words and phrases we live by, such as “helpful,” “kind,” “Do a Good Turn Daily,” and “help other people at all times.”

Counting service hours for school or elsewhere in the community and also for advancement is not considered double counting since the hours are counted only once for advancement purposes.

So double-counting service hours / service projects for multiple BSA rank requirements, merit badges, or awards can be allowed, but seems to be discouraged.
 

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As Scout leaders and advancement administrators, we must ask ourselves an even more pointed question: “Is it my goal to produce Scouts who check a task off a list or Scouts who will become the leaders in our communities?” To answer our own question, we should consult the same criteria that guide Scouts.

This is a good reminder, IMO.
 

And Scouts / leaders / MBCs also have to be aware that some requirements are written in such a way that they cannot be double-counted.  For example:

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World Conservation Award
Requirements for this award must be completed in addition to any similar requirements completed for rank.

So the 3 conservation service hours done as part of the World Conservation Award cannot be double-counted for rank.
 

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Hiking merit badge
*The required hikes for this badge may be used in fulfilling hiking requirements for rank advancement. However, these hikes cannot be used to fulfill requirements of other merit badges.

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Cooking merit badge
Note: The meals prepared for Cooking merit badge requirements 4, 5, and 6 will count only toward fulfilling those requirements and will not count toward rank advancement or other merit badges. Meals prepared for rank advancement or other merit badges may not count toward the Cooking merit badge. You must not repeat any menus for meals actually prepared or cooked in requirements 4, 5, and 6.

So the answer is yes, sometimes.  But it depends on safety, the intent behind the requirements, and how the requirements are written.

I use Chrome, and the Organization Security Manager was working for me as of a couple days ago.

Have you tried opening your browser in incognito mode?  Or clearing your cache and cookies?

Edited to add:  I just tried it again, and it still seems to be working for me.

If you are using Zoom, there are some things that the host can do to reduce the potential of Zoombombing:

• Use Zoom's waiting rooms and only let people you know into the Zoom meeting
• Ask Scouts to use their real first name or nickname so that the host can recognize them
• Use meeting passwords
• Remove participants, if needed

https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/04/08/zoom-product-updates-new-security-toolbar-icon-for-hosts-meeting-id-hidden/

You could also try asking why the Scout did not attend.  Maybe the Scout had a conflicting event (Are some dates/weekends better than others?).  Or perhaps the Scout was not interested in the particular activities (Are there other activities that the Scout would be interested in?  Has the Scout communicated this to his/her PL?).

@fred8033  The Program Features are available online at:

https://troopleader.scouting.org/program-features/

There might be some minor differences, but it's basically the same as the Program Features books.

I wish more of the merit badge pamphlets were available as pdfs or Kindle.

BSA COVID-19 FAQ

BSA Digital Safety and Online Scouting Activities

The BSA's Guide to Advancement outlines the merit badge process in part 7 - The Merit Badge Program.

The discussion with the Scoutmaster is a part of the process, but it is not an approval - just an indication that the discussion took place.   Please see section 7.0.0.3 The Scout, the Blue Card, and the Unit Leader. 

Section 7.0.3.0 outlines the Recommended Merit Badge Process.

The BSA has put out guidance on how to work on rank advancements and merit badges in its COVID-19 FAQs.  The Scoutmaster can sign the blue card in Scoutbook where it says: Initial Unit Leader Signature.

Merit badges are for learning about life skills, sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers.  I think setting a goal of earning all merit badges is fine - as long as it's the Scout's goal.

On 3/4/2020 at 1:55 AM, dedkad said:

1. 18-year olds can attend Philmont as a youth or adult. As we already had four adults going (the max allowed), we registered him as a youth for Philmont. He is also registered as a youth in the troop since he just turned 18 this year. Can he share a tent with a 16 or 17 year old or will he need to tent alone since he is technically adult-aged?

Does this Scout have an approved time extension to continue working towards Eagle Scout rank?  Or has he already earned Eagle Scout rank and has turned 18?

The BSA requires all all Venturing, Exploring, and Sea Scouting participants 18 years old but not yet 21 years old to complete an adult application, criminal background check disclosure/authorization form, and Youth Protection Training.  I believe they require the same of 18-year-olds in troops who have approved time extensions to continue working towards the Eagle Scout rank (although the registration position name and code might be different: Unit Participant vs. Venturing Participant).

If the Scout already earned Eagle Scout rank, then I believe he has to register as an Assistant Scoutmaster or Unit College Scouter Reserve with the troop.  But I would highly recommend that you talk to your council Registrar about this to make sure that you are following the BSA's YPT and registration rules.

For YPT purposes, he cannot tent with a 16 or 17-year-old, because he is legally an adult.

Going by the Guide to Safe Scouting, parents do not share tents with their children in older Scout programs (Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouts) because they are youth-led programs.  You might be able to get an exception to this rule from your Scout Executive and Philmont, but I would ask and get it approved well before your trip.

On 3/24/2020 at 4:17 AM, 69RoadRunner said:

I'm thinking about offering the personal fitness MB.   I might need to find a substitute for the pull-ups.  Not everyone has a safe means of doing that at home and I clearly don't want people using playgrounds.  Pull-ups for some scouts are pointless if done typically.  MANY people can't do one.  When my son did it, we went to our gym.  I got one of those long elastic bands, wrapped it around the bar and he stepped in it to assist.  That way, he was able to do pull-ups and get stronger.

I'll have parents verify that the exercises are done.  Scouts can certainly run/jog for 9 minutes outside while keeping a safe distance.

It looks to me like Scouts can choose either push-ups or pull-ups.  Push-up should be no problem if they don't have the equipment to do pull-ups.

Personal Fitness MB at usscouts.org

The closest I could find was from this Bryan on Scouting article:

Read this list of do’s and don’ts before your next unit fundraiser

And the Fiscal Policies and Procedures for BSA Units FAQs (revised November 2019) just says:
 

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We can’t solicit gifts for our unit?

No. Simply put, units are not permitted to solicit any gifts.

 

Neither one really answers the question "why", they both just say "no".

And if there are some new crossovers who recently joined a troop, a partial is fine.  They can visit a place listed as a NHL or NRHP after the stay at home restrictions are lifted.  But now is a perfect time to work on the other requirements.

3 hours ago, TMSM said:

I totaly agree. its good to spend some time talking about this with a scout because I have always found a place that they have been that qualifies. This is why this badge can be done from home while in lock down.

I also agree.  There are lots of places listed as National Historic Landmarks or on the National Register of Historic Places.  As long as the Scout visited one of them after joining Boy Scouts / Scouts BSA and could tell me what they learned and found interesting about it, I would count it.  If the Scout needs to refresh his or her memory by looking it up on the Internet, I wouldn't see a problem with that.

@SteveMM   We tried Zoom a couple days ago.  We were not cut off after 40 minutes, so I think Zoom might have lifted their 40 minute time limitation for free accounts.  Not completely sure, though, as I was not the host.

Webex is another option that might be worth looking into.

While a merit badge counselor can determine that so much time has passed since any effort took place that the Scout must use the new requirements, this does not necessarily mean that the Scout has to start over from scratch.  Any work already done by the Scout that meets the new requirements would count.

As @T2Eagle pointed out, the 13 week tracking requirement for Personal Management is virtually identical to the old version - they have mostly just re-ordered the requirements.  The tracking part of 2.a. was moved to 2.b.3., and a new 2.b.4. was added.  New requirement 2.b.4 looks like a worthwhile discussion to me, but it could be a problem if the Scout no longer has the information that was used for the Scout's budget and income / expenses tracking.  If I were the MBC, I would not force a Scout to switch to the new requirements in this particular situation, but that's JMO.  And as other have pointed out, the Scout could also choose to find a new MBC who will allow him to continue using the old requirements.

Which merit badge?  And how long ago did he last work on the merit badge?  Because the Guide to Advancement also says:

"There is no time limit between starting and completing a badge, although a counselor may determine so much time has passed since any effort took place that the new requirements must be used."

And he wouldn't necessarily have to redo everything.  Nights of camping since joining a troop, for example, would still count towards the Camping merit badge.

3 hours ago, qwazse said:

Can a BoR reject a scout if he/she doesn't have Scoutbook? Say, if no internet is available?

We don't waste a scout's time waiting for extra stars to align. Have a quorum? Will review! Our MCs have gotten away from signing anything but the handbook and checking off SB. So that handbook is becoming pretty essential. I guess if we had to we'd sign a label for the scout to put in his book.

All I am saying is that if a Scout forgot to bring his or her handbook to the BOR, the board cannot reject the Scout just for that reason.  That seems to be what the GTA says: "A Scout must not be rejected at a board of review for reasons unrelated to advancement requirements. For example, the Scout must not be rejected for not bringing a Scouts BSA Handbook or being tardy for a board of review, but the reason for the tardiness may certainly be a topic for discussion."  It seems that it would be appropriate to go ahead and hold the BOR when the signoffs (whether in the Scout's handbook or in Scoutbook or perhaps the Scout has an older version of the handbook and is using the printed sign off sheets "Scouts BSA Rank Requirements" printed from this BSA page ) have already been verified prior to the BOR.  On the other hand, it might be appropriate to postpone the BOR if the Scout forgot the handbook, and the signoffs have not already been verified.

A board of review cannot reject a Scout for not having his or her handbook at the BOR, so I don't know if it's correct to say that the handbook is the official record or not.  However, we always sign the Scout's handbook (if the Scout brings it to the BOR).  The members of the board of review are supposed to sign a unit Advancement Report as part of the process.

Scoutbook and Internet Advancement 2.0 both use the same database, so it doesn't matter which one of them units use.  If units use third-party software like Troopmaster, then I would double-check IA 2.0 after uploading the advancement import file to make sure that everything got uploaded correctly.

Guide to Advancement:  Electronic Advancement Reporting

I view the handbook and Scoutbook / IA 2.0 as backups to each other.  So if a Scout loses the handbook or if it gets damaged beyond usability, then Scoutbook / IA 2.0 can be the backup.  I know some people who take pictures of the signature pages in the handbook from time to time.  And electronic records can have their own issues with data being lost or corrupted, so the handbook can be used to correct the electronic record, if needed.  As far as I know, the pocket certificates for rank are not required for anything, but are nice to have.  However, if the handbook got lost / damaged and the electronic record in SB / IA was missing for some reason, then you could probably use the pocket certificate to get the date that the rank was earned.

The blue card is the nationally recognized merit badge record.  If the date doesn't match between the blue card and Scoutbook / IA 2.0, units can correct the date to match.  The merit badge pocket certificate is nice to have, but not required.

Some suggestions / recommendations:

Try to get at least one adult leader / parent from every den to take BALOO training.

What about putting the families in charge of their own meals?  Or putting each den in charge of a different meal?  Or each den contributes something to one particular meal (Saturday dinner, for example).  This would also help with the Scouts' rank advancement (Bear Picnic Basket, Cast Iron Chef, etc.).

Is there someone on the committee who could help by taking charge of the equipment?

Den Chiefs could help with games and activities.