"Ask The Commissioner"

We've developed this page to answer specific questions that you might have about our Program. If you have a question about

any Scouting policy or procedure please write to me at gacommish@aol.com and put "Ask The Commissioner" in the subject line.

We will post the question and my answer on this page. We will not post your name.

Remember, if you have some misinformation to resolve or confusing policy matter to clear up, then others do as well.

Thanks, as always, for your support!

Can only an adult leader sign off on scout rank requirements?

We were told that the Suffolk County Council has made this decision and we all thought this is the opposite philosophy of a boy run troop.

We were all under the assumption that the older Scout rank had to be two years higher.

Can you clarify and why the change?

When the 2009 book came out, BSA changed the procedure to all requirements had to be signed off by a uniformed leader.  Prior to that,

each achievement required 2 signatures - the patrol leader and the uniformed leader in two different places.  There was never an age

requirement for a scout signing off on requirements. A uniformed leader should be assigned to every patrol and at the patrol

breakouts, the patrol leader or guide can test the scout, but the adult leader must be present to observe the skill being demonstrated and

verify by signing the book that the scout has demonstrated the proper skill.

The adult leader signs the book.

As to "WHY" Lets just say that is one of Life's Mysteries.

The question below was posed to me and 7 other Scouters. This Column was established to get the CORRECT answer out to the General Scouting Population.

When I am sent a question, I send it to the Chair of the Committee in question. This way I can make sure that the question is answered correctly.

This Question was sent to Al Westrich who answered for the Advancement Committee.

Does a scout need to carry a firemen chit card like a totin' chip?

Neither of the cards have to be carried. However, if a scout is not following the guidelines, then the card can be taken away from him and he would have to re demonstrate the skills to get a new card.

Many Scouters have removed the corners of the cards after a Scout has been found violating Safety rules on either the Totin Chip and Fireman Chit cards.

At this time there is no mention of corners or having to carry the card in the scout handbook and the 2010 boy scout requirements book. The Firem'n chit card is not mentioned in the current scout handbook.

Taking off a corner was a practice from past. The taking off of a corner was like a warning to the scout that he was not exercising proper skills in building a fire or using the wood tools.

Also, most troops did not like to pay for another card if the card was taken from the scout.

Can committee members refuse to hold a BOR or deny a scout their rank advancement based on failure to have or wear a full uniform (hiking boots,

neckerchief slide, etc.)?

Each Troop makes its own rules as regards to what it expects its Scouts to do.

As far as BOR are concerned: Is this what the Troop has asked for in the past?

Are the Scouts aware of this rule? I really have never heard a ruling on Hiking Boots but appropriate footware can be expected. For instance a Class A Uniform is not to be worn

with flip-flops, but an appropriate closed toe shoe or sneaker is acceptable.

Is there a problem with the Scout not being able to afford a Uniform. Our Uniform Exchange can help with that.

In my own Troop if a Scout showed up for a BOR and was not dressed properly we would adjourn the BOR until the Scout could present himself dressed appropriately.

The thing here is that it is a well known practice that this is the dress code for a BOR.

I know things can get muddled at times.

“It is preferred a Scout be in full uniform for any board of review. He should wear as much of it as he owns, and it should be as correct as possible, with the badges warn properly.

It may be the uniform of the troop, team, crew, or ship wear it. If wearing all or part of the uniform is impractical for whatever reason, the candidate should be clean and neat in his appearance

and dressed appropriately, according to his means,for the milestone marked by the occasion. Regardless of the unit expectations or rules, boards of review may not reject candidates dressed

to this description; neither may they require the purchase of uniforming, or clothing such as coats and ties.”

This is directly from the new Guide to Advancement book that was issued by National Boy Scouts of America, as presented by Al Westrich at Roundtable.

We have set up a Facebook page for our Pack, and it's useful for reminding parents of upcoming events. We were considering expanding the use to

include photos from Pack Nights or other Pack events.

My question is, do we need to obtain written permission from parents ahead of time?

On a Web site for a Scout unit (or school class or other youth group), caution is recommended in these areas:

Don't provide full names, phone numbers, e-mail or residence addresses of youth members, or place a child's name with his photograph.

Don't provide times and locations at which children will be present without adequate adult supervision.

Don't include interactive forums (any technology that allows someone to post material that others may view), including bulletin boards and chat rooms (even if they are moderated), in a Web site designed for minors.

The BSA has always been concerned with identifying youth members in photographs in open websites. In Facebook, when you "like" someone, that someone would be able to "tag" a photograph and identify that "liked" person in it. If you are the administrator of the Facebook page, you have to monitor that this does not happen. You can see how parents might get concerned.

Likewise, comments written and posted have to be monitored.

I suggest you start a "closed" group. I thought "groups" were going away but Facebook still allows you to create one. As the Administrator, you can "allow" people to join your page. You can also control who sees your pictures and who doesn't. If members leave your Pack, you can also kick them out of your group. If people misuse your page in any manner, again, kick them out of your group. In this manner, you can demonstrate to your parents that you are keeping their son's names and images as safe as possible.

As a Pack training coordinator, how can I find out what training the leaders in my Pack have completed?

The way that Pack/Scout Training Coordinators can find out information on the training that Adult leaders have completed

is to call the Council at 631-924-7000. You need to speak to the Registrar, Ginny ext. 26 or Joann ext. 20.

Let me say a word about the ladies at the Council. They work very hard and long to keep track of all the scouts in Suffolk County.

They are still dealing with the charters that we have all completed. Doing a Personal Profile on each leader is a time/computer

consuming process. They cannot jump immediately when we ask. We must remember that there are a lot of Leaders and they will

all need this service done. Please exercise patience when you ask them to do this for your Unit.

I commend you for getting this information. The best way to serve the Youth of Suffolk County is to give them trained Leaders!