Campouts on a school day

[Eagle309 10]

My oldest son has just recently crossed over to Boy Scouts. There is planning in place for a council wide camporee type event this fall. We were all set to go then we found out that we had to be on site and checked in by 3PM on a Friday in mid Septenber-- a school day. The site is over a four hour drive away. Hence in order to go, we would have to take him out of school on Friday.

 

Before I even started to talk to him about the seriousness of missing a school day so early in the year (and at a new school too), he said he did not want to go and miss school so near the beginning of the year.

 

I will still go with the troop as an adult, if there are not enough adult leaders already going. My son will not be going. What disappoints me is that he had to make a choice between school and scouts. Do others see this happening very often?

I am hoping this is a rare occurance that happened because the council was in a bind scheduling wise.

[Eagle1973 10]

It happens in 4H in our area at least twice (for us), more for others, per school year. It is an excused abscence. I need to check if BSA rates the same privilege. We assess the school work load and usually end up taking two vehicles, with one child that can afford to miss school, and the other with the child that can't afford to miss school. One arrives at the 4H function on time, the other doesn't.

 

We haven't run across this problem w/ BSA yet.

[Bob White 20]

While we have had a few rare adult ttrining events that required time out during an standard work week, I have never seen a counil or district or unit schedule a youth activity that required the scout to take a school day off. I would not personally support such a decision.

 

 

[evmori 11]

Did you double-check the time? Maybe that is the staff check-in time. Or maybe that is the time check-in starts!

 

If check-in is at 3PM on a Friday, I would think attendance would be low for this event. It's not fair to make kids chose between school & another activity. It's not fair to the parents, either. I wouldn't support this in in future.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[PNScouter 10]

I have hunch that registration begins at 3PM, It would be poor planning to have a cut off at 3PM. Why not just tell your unit and/or the hosts of the event that you will be arriving as soon as you can after school is out? In any case let the planners of the event know of your situation.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

In the Council I serve, for the last two Woodbadge courses offered they have had Venturers on day 4 (so on a 2 3day weekend course thats a friday)

 

Now, thats twice in 4 years so I dont detect a trend, but the Woodbadge course director had a letter to be sent to the school principal asking the student be excused for the day and listed what the student would be doing. So far no problems have been encountered.

 

For a whole troop, or a community of troops? Not something I would want to start

[ScoutNut 147]

I agree with PNScouter, if the time is correct, have whoever can make that time from your Troop do the check-in & the rest of you get there when you can.

 

Meanwhile, call your council & let them know how you feel about this.

 

[SR540Beaver 116]

OGE,

 

Why were there youth at a WB course? That doesn't happen in our council's course.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

The youth are/were used on the 4th day to demonstrate the leave no trace campsite and officiate at the problem solving games. Each Patrol got a youth for the day and led them through various activities. You should see the expressions when YoungSpikedEagle and Campfire Fairy get up during the Woodbadge song and join in on the verse, "I used to be a staffer"

 

As to why this COuncil uses Venturerers and yours didnt may be a quesiton better left up to the WOodbadge direcors in this forum, but I was told it was part of the curriculum.

[hops_scout 9]

That is just wrong. Something has got to be wrong with the timings. I'm surprised, too, at the fact it's a 4 hour drive for a camporee. That's poor planning.

[acco40 95]

Our districts covers multiple school districts. In fact, the boys in our troop come from different public school districts, each with different school calendars.

 

Our most recent event was three and a half hours away and they wanted us to check in by no later than 4:00 PM. Well, we arrived at 8:45 PM. C'est la vie.

 

Heck, my sons would jump at the chance to miss school for Scouts. If they had their preference, outings would take place Monday through Friday so they could have the weekends to themselves. Not sure Dad agrees.

 

Vote with your feet. Talk to your council/district. Good luck.(This message has been edited by acco40)

[CA_Scouter 11]

My response to the council would be a very polite, but very firm, 'No, thanks anyway, we'll get there when we get there'.

 

I'm with Acco40.

 

 

[scoutldr 726]

I agree with the others that it HAS to be that check-in starts at 3 pm. Expecting all participants to be on site and checked in by 3 pm on a school/work day is a non-starter.

 

The troop I serve travels to Gettysburg every other year over the MLK weekend. Scouts get out of school on Friday, since it's a 7-8 hr trip, but most teachers will excuse the absence since the trip has an educational component.

[Eamonn 61]

If I were you I would give the District Activity Chair. a call. Ask him or her if the information is correct?

Explain that 3:00 PM just isn't going to work.

I have to admit that I think the 3:00 is the earliest time that they want people to check in.

I would have a big problem taking OJ out of school. I know that a lot of volunteers wouldn't be able to get off work that early on a work day, in fact with a four hour drive some would wait till the next day to avoid being too tired to drive after a long day at work.

Eamonn.

[Eagle309 10]

I spoke with my sons SM last night. He is on the committee that organized the event. The information was in error. Registration goes till midnight.

 

Thanks to all who responeded for affirming that we shouldn't have to choose between scouts and school.