r/BSA 10d ago

Scouting America Advice wanted

My son is part of the Jamboree contingent for our area. They had a Campout at the beginning of May with the new Jamboree troop. The kids were told there would be comfort stations available for them to utilize. Unbeknownst to them, the volunteer leadership decided against having the comfort stations because the troop would be responsible to clean them. The leaders did not update the boys about this change (it was decided at check in at the Scout reservation - not ahead of time). Several boys in my son's patrol went to the comfort station, found them locked and did the inappropriate thing and unlocked several with a flint and steel or rocks. My son was present and says he didn't participate but didn't stop the others either. The volunteer leader showed up, told the boys they should not have done that and the weekend progressed. On Sunday night we received a message in the Discord channel about the damage to the comfort station locks and there would be further discussion.

A week later, I received an email saying my son and a parent needed to attend a mandatory meeting to talk about the damage and reparations needed to be paid. I emailed back and said I needed pictures, needed to understand what was happening to the leadership (who weren't leading), and I wanted to understand the insurance. I was told this would all happen at the mandatory meeting.

The meeting was last night. Come to find out the Area Council leadership called most of the other parents in the Jamboree troop EXCEPT the accused kids' parents. Seriously. My son and the others was tried and convicted without being able to address his accuser(s) and discuss the situation. Is this normally how things are resolved in the Scouts? I get the boys violated the Oath and the Law and didn't act appropriately but I can imagine how this was all decided without talking to the accused. And leadership was exonerated from responsibility.

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u/random_lampshade 10d ago

outside of the wwii context, what is a comfort station?

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u/MyThreeBugs 10d ago

Likely a flushable toilet. Maybe showers too. A lot of camps have these for summer camp but leave them locked for weekend camping for the exact reason the kids were told - if they wanted them open, they would need to clean them before they left. Some camps have an extra fee option for the cleaning but many do not.