Advice wanted

[u/AromaticCap4]

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.

[u/iowanaquarist]

What responsibility did the leadership supposedly have here? When you say 'comfort station', what specifically do you mean -- and were alternatives not provided? Why shouldn't all the scouts that participated in vandalism or knew about ongoing vandalism but didn't take steps to stop it be held accountable?

[u/AromaticCap4 → u/iowanaquarist]

Comfort station= flush toilet. The adult leaders made the decision to not have the comfort stations unlocked because they would have to be cleaned before departure. The adult leaders needed to communicate that change to the Scouts and explain where the latrines they were to use were located. That did not happen.  I have no issue with my son being held accountable.  I will pay whatever damages were incurred. I have issues with the adults who were making decisions and not communicating those decisions not accepting any responsibility.  I have issues with no one calling me or my son to hear his side. Nor did they call the other 6 parents and children blamed. They called multiple other families, had those children report on who they saw involved and then blamed the 7 children without any conversation to hear their side. 

I wrote this question to find out if this how all Scout Councils deal with issues as there has never been an issue within his troop. I have stated elsewhere in this chain it's probably because there is a better ratio of adults to children (1 to 3/5) for every camping experience so it's hard for the kids to not have adult supervision at all times. 

[u/iowanaquarist → u/AromaticCap4]

The locked door is a universal sign of "closed", though.