School district mailed Boy Scout recruiting letter & it offends me

[QueeTheBean]

I received a letter from my school district--on district letterhead--recruiting my son for Cub Scouts. The letter was signed by the Asst. Superintendent and by the district BSA Director.

I am opposed to BSA due to their discriminatory practices against gay and atheist leaders, and am upset that my school tax dollars were used for this mailing--a tacit (at best) endorsement by the school.

For anyone out there who feels similarly, would you just let this go, or would you go on the warpath? If you chose to act, what would you do?

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I assume this is a public school? In the US? Assuming yes, I would definitely raise a major objection. The BSA went all the way to the Supreme Court to be declared a private religious organization with the right to accept/deny membership according to their standards. Thus, to me this letter would be roughly the same as getting a letter that says "Go to XYZ church". Not appropriate for a school to do.

So, now what? I think I would start by writing a letter back to the district sup. explaining that you believe this is inappropriate and why. Copy the local news stations and include a copy of the original letter with it. In our community, that would cause major issues. But then, I'm in pretty liberal So. CA. Not sure if that would ring with other communities. If you feel really strongly, seems like a case for the ACLU or something.

[QueeTheBean]

Yes--public school in the US.

What I would like to find is a copy of BSA's actual policy re: gays and atheists as leaders. Been e-searching, but can't find it yet.

[Callimom]

Originally Posted by QueeTheBean

Yes--public school in the US.

What I would like to find is a copy of BSA's actual policy re: gays and atheists as leaders. Been e-searching, but can't find it yet.

Here on their FAQ pages is a summary.
I'd be going up one side of the administration and down the other if this kind of stuff came home with my kid.
good luck
hth
Karen

[ZoeyZoo]

There was a story about them in San Diego. They have the city lease them a building for something like $1. Many people were furious over this because the city's tax dollars were going toward the organization and they are known to have a religious and anti-gay message. The building itself was in a part of town with a large gay population. It went into the courts but I don't know what came of it. You might want to do a google search to see what they did and the outcomes.

[MCR]

The Cub scouts have a booth every year at back to school nights here in our elementary school, where they recruit kids and parents. Until my Ds had been with them for a while I had no idea about their actual policies. We never saw or heard anything that would have made us want to leave, they were very inviting and seemed to include everyone in our area never heard any anti anyone rhetoric. We dropped out when Ds was about 9, from lack of interest.

[spedteacher30]

i believe that NCLB has a specific exemption that BSA is allowed access to public schools, even if they are otherwise violating non-discrimination policies.

i would definitely express your concern to the superintendent, but, unless the BSA recruiting information is the only outside agency you are receiving information for, I don't think there is anything that can be done.

http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedReg...1/032406a.html

[QueeTheBean]

Originally Posted by spedteacher30

i believe that NCLB has a specific exemption that BSA is allowed access to public schools, even if they are otherwise violating non-discrimination policies.
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedReg...1/032406a.html

That is very interesting . . .

Originally Posted by spedteacher30

i would definitely express your concern to the superintendent, but, unless the BSA recruiting information is the only outside agency you are receiving information for, I don't think there is anything that can be done.

The thing that really gets me is that I received this through the mail and on school district letterhead. --I've received handouts from Cub Scouts & other groups before (camps, karate school, etc) that were sent home with my kids--I don't really love any of that, but I can live with it-- whatever, just chunk it in the recycle bin. But that my district approved of and mailed these out (using my tax dollars, as an added insult)--that really p&sses me off.

[QueeTheBean]

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

Here on their FAQ pages is a summary.
I'd be going up one side of the administration and down the other if this kind of stuff came home with my kid.
good luck
hth
Karen

Wow. I know that BSA is a private club, but reading that just about made me lose my breakfast. I had no idea that it was that blatant.

[mojumi]

Originally Posted by QueeTheBean

For anyone out there who feels similarly, would you just let this go, or would you go on the warpath? If you chose to act, what would you do?

I'm not sure I would pull out all the stops, but I would certainly be upset. A letter written directly to the authors of the letter (both of them) expressing my concerns might be sufficient. (In my mind.)

So many people don't seem to realize when they are overstepping boundaries that were created for a real purpose. Someone thinks "who could possibly object to the BSA? They do such good stuff, no one will mind ... " I think it is important to stand up and say "yes, someone does mind when the public school spends taxpayer money to recruit children for a private organization that discriminates on the basis of religion and sexual orientation, so please don't do it again!"

Just had the thought that the BSA may have paid for the mailing (happens with lobbyists all the time!) -- but the objection is not just the 'taxpayer dollars' but that a public school would be using its authority and credibility to recruit for a private and discriminatory organization.

[lauren]

I know my kid's school had to stop sending the stuff home with all the kids and do their own recruiting, so there is some precedent for separating it from school. Perhaps google BSA + litigation or separation from schools?

[BCFD]

Are the Girl Scouts affiliated with any of this?

[Ceili]

Originally Posted by BCFD

Are the Girl Scouts affiliated with any of this?

No, the Girl Scouts is a completely different organization, they are not affiliated with the Boy Scouts in anyway.

[BCFD]

Originally Posted by Ceili

No, the Girl Scouts is a completely different organization, they are not affiliated with the Boy Scouts in anyway.

Thanks!

[rodsmommy]

My boys came home with a plethora of boy scout materials, pamplets and stickers and lists of fun activities! They were so upset when I said they could not join and I was so upset that this group was allowed to push themselves on my kids when they have such discriminatory policies. My oldest child is special needs and I had to call early the next morning to let his teacher and special ed teacher know that he was coming to school upset and why. I did not push it any farther, but thanks to this thread, I think I will write a more formal letter of complaint next time I am glad I read this thread, most people act like I'm some radical since I won't let my boys be scouts. They are allowed to join anything else, and they are now informed enough to know why.

[Leta]

So glad DSS is not into Boy Scouts... and relieved that I have DD and another DD on the way!

I was a Girl Scout and I loved it.

But, if I had boys who were interested, I couldn't pay dues to a homophobic organization, so I'm feeling like I dodged a bullet here.

[momtoalexsarah]

Um what is so wrong with scouting? I don't get it, I was a leader for a cub and scout troup here for a number of years prior to having my kids. It was excellent, ours are co-ed here and as I said i just don't get the issue.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Originally Posted by momtoalexsarah

Um what is so wrong with scouting? I don't get it, I was a leader for a cub and scout troup here for a number of years prior to having my kids. It was excellent, ours are co-ed here and as I said i just don't get the issue.

On a legal level, it is wrong for a public school district to encourage membership in any private club, especially one that not all of the members of the school community can belong to. It would be, IMHO, just as wrong for them to recruit for members of a, say, the tennis club down the street. Especially if that tennis club had some sort of membership requirement, like, say, a certain income level. FWIW, I don't think its wrong from schools to distribute information about groups, as long as there is a fair policy (all groups or none) and it is explicit that this is info provided by the group and the school itself is neutral about it.

On a personal level, I will not pay dues to an organization that proudly discriminates against groups of people -- in this case gays and atheists. Other people are welcome to belong to this club, but my family chooses to hold to different beliefs. I realize that this probably doesn't impact most of the actual meetings at all, but I won't pay money to the parent organization because it seems to validate their stance on these issues.

On a public level, the fact that BSA wants to have its cake (be a private group that can discriminate) and eat it too (have the benefit of public support for things like school property use and low-rent leases on public land). By all means they have the right to control their membership any way they want to -- they are a private club (they went to the supreme court to prove it). But if they choose to be a private discriminatory group, then they shouldn't also claim to be a "public good" and expect public support and benefits that other private groups don't enjoy.

[lotusdebi]

Originally Posted by momtoalexsarah

Um what is so wrong with scouting? I don't get it, I was a leader for a cub and scout troup here for a number of years prior to having my kids. It was excellent, ours are co-ed here and as I said i just don't get the issue.

My father was an eagle scout and a volunteer for my brother's cub scout group back in the 80's. When I was born, he called me his "first boy scout" even though I'm female. Scouting was a big part of his life, and he raised me and my brother to appreciate the lessons he learned during his years in Boy Scouts.
My father was also a strong atheist. My brother identified as an atheist as well when he was in Cub Scouts. These were not issues back then.

Now (and I recall this becoming a big issue in the early '90s), atheists and people who self-identify as Queer (i.e. homosexuals) are not permitted in Boy Scouts. I cannot support an organization that discriminates against people based on their religious beliefs or disbeliefs or their sexuality. I have two boys. I'd LOVE for them to join Boy Scouts. I like the lessons, crafts, camping trips, etc. that are a part of scouts. But, my children are some of those who are discriminated against by the Boy Scouts. My 6 year old self-identifies as an atheist. And, what if my children decided at some point that they were gay? What if they put in all those years, all that time and effort, just to be thrown out of a group they had invested so much into? Just be be declared immoral.
And what would I be teaching them, to let them join such a group? I'd be teaching them that it's okay to discriminate against people because of their beliefs regarding God or gods. That it's okay to discriminate against people because of their sexuality. Or even that it's okay to lie about themselves in order to participate in such a group. Those aren't the kinds of values I'm raising my children to hold dear.

I hope that BSA changes their policies and welcomes all boys rather than a select few. But, as long as they discriminate in such a hateful way, my family will not - in any way - participate in the Boy Scouts, and we will continue to speak out against them.

[whiddle]

It would bother me to receive that but I'd probably just ignore it. I'm not into stirring up problems and they are likely to write of your opinion as "weird" or "liberal." If BSA is such a christian organization, why are they doing so much judging? BLAH.