Home and school associationends sponsorship of Scouting
By:G. Natasha Zoe
A change in school district policies regarding home and school associations has put one Cub Scout pack searching for new sponsors at short notice.
Cub Scout Pack 389 has been sponsored for six years by the Amsterdam Home School Association (AHSA), but the pack is looking for a new home after learning the association won’t continue the sponsorship.
And the 78-member pack, which includes more than 70 students of Amsterdam Elementary School, will be disbanded if they can’t find a sponsoring organization very soon.
The AHSA informed pack leaders at the end of April that it was declining to sponsor the pack for next year, citing liability concerns and saying a school district policy against favoritism prevents them from doing so. The association also had sponsored another pack which is now sponsored by St. Joseph’s Church, but church leaders say they can’t take on more groups.
"I don’t think they understand Scouting and the need for it anymore," said Christine Kretz, whose 10-year-old son William is a member of Pack 389. "It is important for boys who don’t want to do organized sports. I just don’t know if everyone appreciates the value of Scouting."
A new Hillsborough Board of Education policy, for the 2002-2003 school year, requires that all ASHA contracts be reviewed and co-signed by a representative from the Board of Education. More than two months after the pack’s request for annual renewal of sponsorship, the Board of Education decided not to sponsor the pack, but approved the association’s sponsorship of the pack.
A chartering organization must agree to appoint a representative to the Scouting district (normally the Scout leader), provide a place for pack meetings, encourage outdoor activities and select a panel of parents and organization members (minimum of three people) to pick the pack leaders "who meet the organization’s standards as well as the leadership of the BSA (Boy Scouts of America).
Amsterdam HSA had the biggest problem with the final responsibility, selecting pack leadership.
In a letter explaining its refusal to responsor the pack, Monica Hu, ASHA president, wrote, "We are extremely concerned and uncomfortable with the requirement of the chartering organization to sign off on forms which indicate concurrence concerning the character and acceptance of existing and new pack leader candidates when details on such individuals are not personally known or provided, such as background and/or criminal checks. It was felt this opened ASHA up to a potential liability with individuals whom the ASHA board has no direct personal knowledge of to be able to make that type of judgment."
But Vicki Kallok, marketing director of the Boy Scouts Patriots Path Council, points out that after a sponsoring organization approves a pack leader, and before the leader assumes any responsibilities in the pack, BSA conducts a screening process, including a criminal background check performed by Choice Point, a national provider of identification and credential verification services.
"We also supply liability insurance to all the chartering organizations," Ms. Kallok said.
Two other problems the Amsterdam Home and School Association had with continuing to sponsor the pack is a conflict with their bylaws and a concern about preferential treatment.
Its bylaws read, "3:02 The name of the Association or officers in their official capacities shall not be used in connection with a commercial concern or with any political interest or for any other purpose than the regular work of the association."
"This rule prohibits ASHA from entering into any relationship or connection with an outside organization," wrote Ms. Hu.
Because the Home and School Association does not, nor has been requested to, sponsor any other organizations, the executive board of the association decided that continuing a sponsorship of pack 389 "would be considered giving preferential consideration to one organization over another."
"In fact, The Board of Ed (Education) has cited this exact concern in their refusal to enter into the sponsoring agreement with the Boy Scouts," wrote Ms. Hu.
Since the executive board of the association made the annual decisions to sponsor the pack for the last six years, the board made the decision to not sponsor the pack, without consulting the general membership of the home school association, according to Ms. Hu.
"It is a shame the Home and School Association does not want to sponsor (Pack 389)," said Ms. Kallok. "We will do our best to help them, so the kids can stay a pack. We will do everything here to help them find a sponsoring organization," said Ms. Kollok.
Each pack must have a chartering organization, that is how the Boy Scouts work, Ms. Kallok said, marketing director, Patriots Path Council. "Although the chartering organizations are usually not-for-profits, anyone can sponsor a pack."
More than 300 different organizations sponsor Boy Scouts within the Patriots Path Council (Morris, Sussex, Union, Somerset and parts of Middlesex counties) including businesses, schools and community organizations.