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At least we're getting there. To give your son an idea of how an EBOR goes, Google "Eagle Board of Review Preparation" for some excellent advice and sample questions. Now is the time to review his uniform...is it clean and complete? Does it need to go to the drycleaners? Does it still fit? Any merit badges on the dresser that need to be sewn on? All patches in the correct location?

 

As one who frequently sits on EBOR as the District Rep, what I would do is treat this like a normal EBOR...not an inquisition to determine who's "right". Hopefully that background work has already been done by the DAC which is why his appeal has been granted. The night of the EBOR is not the time to be taking "depositions" from witnesses. Once we determine he's met the eligibility requirements for Eagle, it's our job to help him become one.

 

Hopefully your Council people are reasonable. Hope it's not mine! ;-)

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It is reasonable for a parent to want to know the nature of the proceeding your son is getting into. I think it would be appropriate to email the DAC for clarification.

 

Is this meeting effectively your son's Eagle Board of Review? Is it more of an administrative hearing? What are the possible outcomes? Could the issue be referred back to the troop (which doesn't seem likely or productive)? If the committee finds for your son, will/can they give final approval his Eagle Application or will that require further action? What is his status regarding his 18th birthday (which I'm figuring is now only a week or so out).

 

My experience with this is the meeting was strictly a fact-finding hearing, Ultimately, the committee ruled in favor of the troop. Had they ruled in favor of the Scout, I'm not sure what would have happened. The Scout most certainly had not had a traditional Board of Review. My guess is they would have just awarded the Eagle. A BoR at that point would have been meaningless.

 

Ask. It can't hurt.

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Sorry all, not my intention to leave you all hanging. It's off to the Council level we go. Waiting (meeting was last Tuesday and this is a long holiday weekend so figured the letter may be slow in coming) to get in writing from the District people their rationale for not being able to recommend my son for Eagle. Left that meeting confused. Still saying he has not met the requirement of demonstrated living Scout spirit in his everyday life. Although they did tell my son and I that his LORs were wonderful/glowing BUT his attendance at meetings and outings dropped off during his junior yr in high school so they do not feel that he has met this requirement. Don't want to say much more until we get the letter and see exactly what they say. Have to tell you my son is confused and so am I.

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After over a hundred posts, I guess there are still a couple of questions:

 

1) How long ago did your son earn his Life Scout award? Was it prior to these periods about which the District is complaining?

 

2) Is the critique by the District accurate? Did his participation, activity, etc. drop off? That is not necessarily a disqualification but it can be important to fact the facts.

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Someone really must have an axe to grind.

 

At this point, it's an awful lot of "someones", eh? SM, Troop Committee, District Advancement Committee. Might just be that we don't have da whole story.

 

Unless his registration lapsed then there should be no question.

 

Yah, I reckon most scouters feel differently, eh? That may be da Boy Scouting program office's approach for expedience' sake, but I reckon most of da rest of us take a closer look at da situation and try to determine whether a lad's level of activity and contribution to his unit really merits recognition with our highest award. Benefit of da doubt goes to the boy, but sometimes there's not that much doubt.

 

Registration gets yeh a membership card (and a magazine if yeh want). Obligating yourself to attend the meetings regularly, fulfilling your obligations to the unit as a regular member, and participatin' in the program in line with da Oath and Law ... that's what makes yeh active.

 

Droppin' da registration of boys is certainly an unambiguous way to deal with things, but I reckon most troops keep 'em on rather than pull da trigger. Yah, and most councils prefer that they keep 'em on da rolls too, eh? ;)

 

-------

 

To my mind, the weird thing in this case is how da adults' stories seem to be shifting a lot. Can't tell if that's mdsummer's understanding and reporting shifting, or whether it's genuine. Adult stories shifting is when I figure the benefit of the doubt should apply to the lad.

 

Da current message seems to be the lad faded out and was presumed gone, then jumped back in as a deathbed Eagle... perhaps as one of those back-of-the-room disruptive fellows with a bit of a smart-aleck attitude that got him no sympathy. Or a bright kid who was playin' things a bit fast and loose and got to be a burr under some adult's saddle dat is still sore. I'm just not sure that's da same message that we were gettin' earlier.

 

Mdsummer, your son has decided to appeal to the Council Advancement Committee, I take it? Has that been scheduled yet? Please keep da group informed. Yah, and it would be nice to know the answers to NeilLup's questions, eh?

 

Beavah(This message has been edited by Beavah)

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Pardon me if I misunderstood, but I thought National had defined "active" for us. Not to everyone's liking, but defined nonetheless. So the only "subjectivity" left in the equation to me is the "Scout Spirit" requirement, and mdsummer assured us there were no huge skeletons in the closet. I have seen "SS" interpreted widely and it would have to be something pretty egregious, if not felonious, to preclude a Scout from even sitting for an EBOR. Missing meetings and outings doesn't rise to the level of seriousness that I would expect. So, either this SM is one of the movers and shakers (and deep FOS pockets) of the Council, or, as others have suggested, we don't have the whole picture. Only the Scout and the SM know the real deal here.

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Scout Sprirt is even defined, and it has nothing to do with how ofter a boy attends scouting activities. "Scout spirit is defined as living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in a Scouts everyday life." from page 29 of the 2008 advancement guide.

 

If it was required that a scout attend a certain percent of scout functions, the requirement would be clearly laid out for them. An example is from the Sea Scout Ordinary, Able, and Quartermaster ranks "Attend at least 75 percent of your ship's meetings and special activities for six months"

 

If it is not in the requirements, then it is not required. No one has the power to decide who is Eagle worthy and who is not, or to decide what an Eagle Scout should be, the requirements do that for us.

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Will let you all know what is in the District letter when my son receives it. Will be back then. Focusing on graduation activities right now. See ya all later.

 

Thanks click23..you are absolutely on point.(This message has been edited by mdsummer45)

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son just received an email response to the message he left earlier this evening on the District persons cell phone. Due to other scouting activities District person has not had the time to draft a letter and run it by the other members of the committee for their input. He hopes to have a letter to my son sometime next week. He gave my son the name of the person to contact at the Council level. Will do that tomorrow. So that's the latest info.

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Pardon me if I misunderstood, but I thought National had defined "active" for us.

 

Yah, it has, eh? Dat's the one I was paraphrasing from the Rules and Regulations:

 

An active youth member is one who, with the approval of a

parent or guardian if necessary, becomes a member of a unit; obligates

himself or herself to attend the meetings regularly; fulfills a member's

obligation to the unit; subscribes to the Scout Oath or the code of his

or her respective program; and participates in an appropriate program

based on a member's age.

 

That's the official definition, eh? The one we all agreed to live by and uphold when we signed our adult leader applications.

 

Beavah

 

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