Posted on 10/31/2011 12:25:53 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
Boy Scout/Cub Scout Charter Discussion
Bob Casey—Pack 303, Britt Kennedy-Troop 303, Brad Schnell, PTO liaison, and Joe Mueller from the Greater St. Louis area council represented the Boy Scouts and answered questions.
PTO members checked in at the door and received a blue card to be exchanged for a written ballot. The voting process was explained.
Issues: Executive Committee role in supervising scouting activity and concerns if this is the role of the PTO. Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts are the only organizations that the PTO charters. Issues were brought to the Exec Council this summer and the PTO Exec council did feel, at times, that a lot of our attention was needed on the scout/PTO relationship for a short period of time late last summer/early fall.
Missouri PTA/PTO statement: They offer guidelines for local PTA/PTO organizations. The recommendations are not binding. In March 2011, they suggest that PTOs/PTA’s should not charter organizations that require the PTO/PTA to make judgments or vouch for the character or morals of the other group’s members. They outline concerns with liability issues. Missouri law states that as individuals, the PTO exec board is protected. However, the funds the PTO raises are at risk. Shannon Wright pointed out that we do have a liability policy for Avery PTO.
One parent asked how Girl Scouts are differently structured. Kathleen Unwin explained that GS charters are handled through a separate non-profit; Girl Scouts of Eastern MO. Boy Scouts are governed through a congressional mandate. Marie Richter asked for clarification on the national structure versus Girl Scouts. It would literally take an act of congress to change the way it is structured.
Another parent asked if a group of Avery parents could, in theory, get together and from their own non-profit to hold the charter. The answer is yes, but, the Boy Scouts prefer a strong and established community based organization.
National policy regarding membership and leadership: One parent asked if a young boy has homosexual parents would that child be denied an opportunity to join scouts. All the adult scout leaders responded “no”. The boy could join scouts. That parent followed up with another question, is it true that if a young man is gay, he cannot be a member? Joe Mueller (Boy Scouts representative) said “no”—if a young man says he is gay, he is referred back to his parents for counseling. A gay parent, however, can participate as a parent for the scout member.
Bob Casey said as far as he is concerned, “it is like don’t ask, don’t tell”. There is no screening on the application form regarding sexual orientation. Bob stated that he would sign off and approve in this pack any application for leadership. The issue in 2000 came up because of publicity. It would not be an issue, unless said leader “preaches” about their sexual orientation to the children. The subject of sexual orientation is not in the scouting curriculum. Bob disclosed that he has been asking a lot of questions regarding sexual orientation at the local and national level.
One parent expressed the feeling that by supporting an organization that discriminates, we are, by defacto, discriminating against gays. She continued to encourage Avery to be a voice of change. There is a non-profit called “Scouting for All” and our local troop may elect to be involved in this organization. The Scout leaders said that they would need to investigate this organization.
Michelle DiMarceles (Avery staff member)—stated that national policy is in conflict with WG School. Even though the local 303 group may not discriminate, discrimination is occurring at the national organization level.
Tracy Baden (Avery Teacher) expressed concern since she is committed to social justice and feels blessed that we are at a school that embraces the concept of social justice. However, she finds it disconcerting to know that our PTO, is signing a document that identifies themselves as the sponsors of an organization that does discriminate. She, though, is supportive of the PTO and all that the organization does for Avery in general. Further, she is troubled that it does not match our district mission statement at all.
Bob Casey said, he would be willing to sign to form for a homosexual parent to be a leader. He has been really pressing people down at the local and national council. Kurt Gilker-committee member for the Scouts says we (the scouts here at Avery) are on the same side of this discrimination issue. But raised the question to see if this troop and pack is willing to be agents of change?
Bob Casey continued with the best opportunity for change being from the inside out.
Mr. Barbre (Avery teacher) stated he feels saddened that we would even tie ourselves to this organization because of the discrimination issues.
Motion moved to end discussion. Britt asked to speak on behalf of Troop 303 that consists of 28 scouts, ages 11-17 years. Talked about the positive aspects of scouting—that it teaches acceptance and tolerance for everyone. That is what they teach the boys. They share a common goal of education for our children.
Motion moved to vote.
Final vote: Written ballots were submitted. Rachel Hermann read the ballots. Votes were tabulated by Jeff Smith, Shannon Wright, Kathleen Unwin, and Denise Pearl.
Troop: 19 Yes, 22 No
Pack: 20 Yes, 22 No
PTO will not sign the charter. PTO sponsorship of Pack 303 and Troop 303 will end on December 31, 2011.
Here are the "minutes" from the meeting where it was decided the Boy Scouts are hatemongers who don't deserve sponsorship.
I am disgusted with the way people and organizations with strong moral bearings are denigrated, even in our own localities.
My understanding is that most of the school troops are low-income minorities.
How exactly did the pack or troop discriminate against anybody? I don’t see that anywhere in the minutes.
Hope they find a local org. to sponsor them.
Leftist truly deserve the world they are creating for themselves.
It’s too bad the rest of us are along for the ride in tha handbasket.
Bob Casey is trash, and a dishonor to Scout leaders everywhere, including me.
Parents of boys - get active in Scouting. If you don’t the Sodomites will...
I’ve seen this coming a long way off. When my boys were young & I was a Cub Scouter, committee members wanted to change our pack sponsorship from a local church - which had been sponsoring us, but had a fading congregation. They hoped that we’d get better support, largely through the provision of meeting & storage facilities - through the school. But I could see the trouble that would be brewing down the road by tying the pack to that secular organization. You just can’t beat a church/synagogue/mosque, or maybe a VFW, as a loyal sponsor of Scouting principles.
Everything about those meeting minutes is as wrong as a football bat. First off, Kathleen Unwin totally misstates the chartering process. Second, Bob Casey, apparently representing the troop & pack, appears to have clearly stated his disagreement with national scouting policy. The local council needs to deal with him by removing him from whatever office he holds since he has an intention to violate national policy by signing a fraudulent membership application.
It would not be pretty sight had I been a parent in attendance for that PTO meeting.
I thought Washington State had the corner on the stupid and misinformed.
Sad to hear that Missouri is afflicted with as potent a strain of stupid as the one we are currently terminal with out here.
I guess nobody stood up and said,
“Well, the policy is there because we don’t want admitted sodomizers near kids. We feel that the male libido and sodomy, plus the outside chance someone with these qualities may be attracted to boys, a safety issue. Within the Pack and Troop we voted that if we didn’t have to put children in the remotest proximity of the threat of sexual molestation, then we wouldn’t.
The son of gay parents is welcome to join as a Wolf, not as a Tiger. The idea here, is that, again, why take a risk? The risk of sexual molestation of a child by a heterosexual male is exactly zero. The risk of a homosexual male is non-zero, and actually somewhere around 8 percent.
Our parents thought putting their boy at an 8 percent risk of being sodomized, or to be forced to perform fellacio in the woods somewhere outweighed their strong desire to be accepting of all people.
And we background check every single solitary volunteer to ensure that risk remains as close to zero as possible.
I’ve invited Mr. Dirk Diggler to come by and apply to the Avery PTO to charter the Man-Boy Love Association here at the Avery School, given the opportunity your withholding support for the BSA represents, and given your wish to be as inclusive as possible.
We want to be accepting of everyone here, so you can take the $35 charter fee the PTO saved and the facility use you recovered and apply it to your expansive sense of inclusiveness by bringing the Man-Boy Love Association to Avery School.
I’m hoping that mollifies some of the sadness some of you felt in being connected with something as vile and narrow as the Boy Scouts of America.
Here’s hoping your young daughters end up marrying one of these very normal MBLA members to raise a batch of grandkids for you. The FBI may come by down the road and visit your daughter’s house to ask some questions. Its a good bet that agent will have been a Boy Scout.
Be sure to include some KY Jelly in the ‘ten essentials’ camping kit for your very accepting group of inclusive scouters.
Have an expansive and accepting day!”
Such actions are from bigots and heteorophobic, just as good a word and homophobe.
Seen and experienced the same thing... although less politely so...
PTOs make for HORRIBLE Chartered Orgs. Better to get a different org.
Dear Lord... I went to that grade school. It is part of the Webster Groves school district in Webster Groves, mo. The neighborhood is made up of mostly liberal tree hugging do gooders now...... How sad.......
ping
OMFingG, I was born there! But I went to Clark.
If God does not judge the United States at this point, an apology to Sodom and Gomorrah might be due.
I’m sure the local or state T.E.A. Party organization would love to sponsor the BSA.
Round here all the packs that were sponsored by schools or PTO’s were told to find new chartering organizations a few years ago. This was a preemptive measure on the part of our council to prevent this from happening. I thought it was a dictate from national I guess I was wrong. Someone down there at council has more smarts than I gave them credit for. American legion posts are usually willing to sign on the dotted line for packs and troops but are usually short on suitable meeting space but sometimes the school will let them meet just do not want to be the sponsor.
Scout Pings
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