AOL Clarification Needed

[SR846-Beaver 10]

In the Webelos Handbook 2008 Printing AOL Requirement says "Be active in your Webelos den for at least 6 months since completing the 4th grade (or at least 6 months since becoming 10 years old), and earn the Webelos Badge.

 

Troop Advancement Chair tells me that the Advancement Committee Guide Policies and Procedures, May 2008 only says 6 months after 4th grade (not the 6 monts after 10th b-day)

 

Which do I go by? I have 3 of 6 boys who have earned all twenty and want to/have planned to cross over in four weeks.

[Bob White 20]

Have you looked in the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures manual to see if it says that or not?

[SR846-Beaver 10]

I have not seen the book. I am just going off of what she was reading to me over the phone.

[CNYScouter 46]

From the Advancement quiz questions thread

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=202748&p=8

 

you can find the Advancement Committee Guide Policies and Procedures in a downloadable .pdf on-line at:

 

http://tinyurl.com/Advancement-Guide

 

(Thanks PeteM)

[Gold Winger 9]

Well, that online copy says "six months after completing the 4th grade (or becoming 10)" Don't know why they made the age part parenthetical but I read that as 10 1/2 years old would qualify for AOL.

[Buffalo Skipper 13]

I agree with what is being said. We have a number of 5th grade Webelos who will be crossing over in the middle of October. They will not have been out of the 4th grade but for 5 months, but they have met the 10 1/2 rule and have completed the AOL requirements.

Not to battle semantics, but why does what the "troop" advancement chair says matter?  The AOL is a cub scout award, not boy scouts. 

[printman31 10]

They probably did the age part in parenthesis because of the fact that some 10 year olds are basicly 1 year behind in school due to the cut off date for starting school. My son is one of those boys that started school 1 year late because his birthday is after the Sept deadline. Also probably has something to do with the fact that some kids are home schooled. This is just my guess as to why they added that.(This message has been edited by printman31)

[SR846-Beaver 10]

RE: Not to battle semantics, but why does what the "troop" advancement chair says matter? The AOL is a cub scout award, not boy scouts

 

I (I am Asst CM) and my CM agree with this. The Troop Adv Chair said something about, we don't want the council to come back later and "take the AOL back" saying that they were not qualified for it. My thought on this goes something like ... gees I think we probably have better things to do with our time than being the "Advancement Police"

[Lisabob 13]

Beaver, in my experience it often happens that the troop folks either never knew, or have long since forgotten, the rules and regs for cub scout advancement. If I had a dollar for every time some troop adult has tried to tell me something factually incorrect about AoL (in particular) ... ya know?

 

Usually showing the troop folks what it says in writing in the CUB SCOUT advancement material, plus the Boy Scout joining requirements (re: age/aol status) is enough to get them to reconsider.

 

 

[evmori 11]

It is stated "6 months since completing the fourth grade (or becoming 10)"

 

Seems pretty simple to me!

 

Gotta agree about the Troop Advancement Chair. They have no say in what a Cub Pack does.

[Docrwm 10]

The age issue is a hold-over from the conversion from Age-based ranks to grade-based ranks for Cubs a few years back. Basically, the idea was that by going to grade-based ranks you would be keeping boys together who are in school together, etc. The age-based part is done as an OPTIONAL criteria but the principle one currently is the grade-based criteria for all Cub Scout issues (e.g., 1st grade = Tiger, 2nd = Wolf, etc.).

 

Hope that helps.

[Buffalo Skipper 13]

"...we don't want the council to come back later and 'take the AOL back' saying that they were not qualified for it."

I can't imagine a council which has so much free time and energy on its hands that it would go around a pack to "take away" an AoL from a Cub Scout. Aside from that, the requirements are the requirements. What some boy scout committee member thinks of cub scout requirements is pretty irrivelent in the greater scheme of things.

On the other hand, if they were to "refuse" admission to the troop because they didn't feel the AoL was earned by their interpretation of the reqirements, then I would run to another troop so fast they would hardly know you had ever been to visit.

Just relax and award the AoL as it is earned, and do what you feel you need to from there, either crossing over or wait until a later time. But, either way, find a good troop to join.

 

 

[SR846-Beaver 10]

Thanks all for the great posts.

[ScoutMomAng 10]

This might be late but I gotta add it!

 

According to the BSA, the boys are considered in the 5th grade as of June 1st of the same year they completed the 4th grade, even if school does not get out until June 10. For example...a boy in the kindergarten in the 2007-2008 school year are considered to be in the first grade as of June 1, 2008. That being said...they are consided 6 months since completing the 4th grade by November 1. Cross them over! They have all 20 activity pins, what more is left?? Belt Loops??? For what?? They don't count toward anything.

[SSScout 1616]

"Lame Duck Webelos" . Now there's a topic for a thread...