;^)
Does your unit reserve the right to turn away any boy from membership who you deem does not live up to the standards of Scouting?
Yes.
If you did do this, and the word just "happened" to get to National, what do you think would happen?
We would cite the BSA policy that says, in part:
"... we do not grant membership to individuals who ...engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA."
You might ask (& it's a good question!),"Will that be their stated policy after January 1, 2014?" And I don't know.
Furthermore, the NEW policy states,
Membership in any program of the Boy Scouts of America requires the youth member to (a) subscribe to and abide by the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law, (b) subscribe to and abide by the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle (duty to God), and (c) demonstrate behavior that exemplifies the highest level of good conduct and respect for others and is consistent at all times with the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
This is a good standard. It does not conflict with our goal of protecting our youth.
Then you ask,"How DO kids join your troop?"
They apply. They meet with the SM. There is no religion test of any kind. They do not have to be members (or from families who are members) of our church. Many of our Scouts come from other churches. We attract such because of the standards that we maintain.
I hope I have answered your questions adequately.
Thank-you.
Food for thought...
What do you plan to do in the case where a new recruit(s) has perverse feelings but has never acted on them and never revealed any of feelings to anyone, the boy is a member for several years, and one day an adult leader happens across sodomy happening involving that boy and one or more others ?
Of course, a parent leader could also be harboring feelings never acted on or spoken of as well (kept hidden).
People hide these feelings from the time they first become “curious”.
Expelling the offenders after a sexual assault or “consensual” action might bring a whole heap of legal troubles on your leadership related to discrimination.
Either way, the parents of some of those boys may feel their sons were raped and they could bring a whole heap of trouble on your leadership related to sexual assault that happened on your watch.
When you have other people’s children under your supervision you are acting in loco parentis, which implies rights and responsibilities.
An attorney who is well-versed in the practical application of this type of law in your state may be one who has dealt with schools in this regard. I’m sure they’d be able to at least speak on some practical experience.
By “practical” application I’m referring to possible real-world outcomes in your State. Since our laws do not have an unchangeable foundation regarding morality, the outcomes are dependent on the perceptions of the day, e.g., only a few decades ago sodomy was largely illegal in the US, but nowadays it has a protected status. How well you fare in such situations may well come down to what judge you find yourself in front of and may be influenced by what kind of protests are mounted by special interest groups and what kind of media coverage the situation receives.