| Date: 19
June 2006
I. Purpose. To
inform adult Scouters and Eagle Scout candidates regarding Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and
local district procedures, policies and guidelines for the timely preparation, submission
and approval of Eagle Scout Service projects and to outline the district process for
scheduling of Eagle Boards of Review (BoR's).
II. References. (a)
Boy Scout Handbook; (b) Advancement Committee Guide, Policies and Procedures;
(c) Rules and Regulations of the Boy Scouts of America.
III. The 12 Steps From
Life to Eagle. The following is a verbatim excerpt from Reference (b), and local
councils or districts are not authorized to deviate from these guidelines except upon
written permission from the National Boy Scout Committee:
"The following 12 steps
have been outlined to ensure a smooth procedure for the Scout, the unit leadership, the
local council and volunteers who are to conduct the board of review. Share these
steps with each Eagle Candidate so that he can fully understand the procedure that must be
followed by the scout, the district, and the council.
1. In order to advance to the rank of
Eagle, a candidate must complete all requirements of tenure; Scout spirit; merit badges;
positions of responsibility; while a Life Scout, plan, develop, and provide leadership to
others in a service project; and the Scoutmaster conference.
2. Using the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook,
the candidate must select his Eagle service project and have the project concept approved
by his unit leader, his unit committee, and the benefactor of the project, and reviewed
and approved by the council or district advancement committee. The Eagle Scout Service
Project Workbook, No. 18-927, must be used in meeting this requirement.
3. It is imperative that all
requirements for the Eagle Scout rank except the board of review be completed prior to the
candidate's 18th birthday. When all requirements except the board of review for the rank
of Eagle, including the service project, have been completed, an Eagle Scout Rank
Application must be filled out and sent to the council service center promptly. (See
special requirements for youth members with disabilities, page 39, and the section titled
"Time Extensions," page 25.)
4. The application should be signed by
the unit leader at the proper place. The unit committee reviews and approves the record of
the Eagle candidate before the application is submitted to the local council. If a unit
leader or unit committee fails to sign or otherwise approve an application, the Eagle
candidate may still be granted a board of review. The failure of a unit leader or unit
committee to sign an application may be considered by the board of review in determining
the qualification of the Eagle candidate.
5. When the completed application is
received at the council service center, its contents will be verified and the references
contacted. The council advancement committee or its designee contacts the person listed as
a reference on the Eagle Scout Rank Application either by letter, form, or telephone
checklist. The council determines the method or methods to be used. The candidate should
have contacted those individuals listed as references before including their names on the
application. The candidates should not be involved personally in transmitting any
correspondence between persons listed as references and the council service center.
6. The Eagle Scout Leadership
Service Project Workbook, properly filled out, must be submitted with the
application.
7. After the contents of an
application have been verified and appropriately signed, the application, Eagle Scout
Leadership Service Project Workbook, and references will be returned from the council
service center to the chairman of the Eagle board of review so that a board of review may
be scheduled. Under no circumstances should a board of review be scheduled until the
application is returned to the chairman of the Eagle board of review. Reference checks
that are forwarded with the application are confidential, and their contents are not to be
disclosed to any person who is not a member of the board of review.
8. The board of review for an Eagle
candidate is composed of at least three but not more than six members. One member serves
as chairman. Unit leaders, assistant unit leaders, relatives, or guardians may not serve
as members of a Scout's board of review. The board of review members should convene at
least 30 minutes before the candidate appears in order to review the application,
reference checks, and leadership service project report. At least one district or council
advancement representative must be a member of the Eagle board of review if the board of
review is conducted on a unit level. A council or district may designate more than one
person to serve as a member of Eagle boards of review when requested to do so by the unit.
It is not required that these persons be members of the advancement committee; however,
they must have an understanding of the importance of the Eagle board of review.
9. The candidate's unit leader
introduces him to the members of the board of review. The unit leader may remain in the
room, but does not participate in the board of review. The unit leader may be called on to
clarify a point in question. In no case should a relative or guardian of the candidate
attend the review, even as a unit leader. There is no set of questions that an Eagle
candidate should be asked. However, the board should be assured of the candidate's
participation in the program. This is the highest award that a Scout may achieve and,
consequently, a thorough discussion of his successes and experiences in Scouting should be
considered. After the review, the candidate and his unit leader leave the room while the
board members discuss the acceptability of the candidate as an Eagle Scout. The decision
must be unanimous. If the candidate meets the requirements, he is asked to return and is
informed that he will receive the board's recommendation for the Eagle Scout rank. If the
candidate does not meet the requirements, he is asked to return and told the reasons for
his failure to qualify. A discussion should be held with him as to how he may meet the
requirements within a given period. Should the applicant disagree with the decision,
the appeal procedures should be explained to him. A follow-up letter must be sent to the
Scout confirming the agreements reached on the action(s) necessary for the advancement. If
the Scout chooses to appeal, the board should provide the name and address of the person
he is to contact. (See "Appealing a Decision," page 33.)
10. Immediately after the board of
review and after the application has been appropriately signed, the application, the
service project report, references, and a properly completed Advancement Report are
returned to the council service center.
11. When the application arrives at
the council service center, the Scout executive signs it to certify that the proper
procedure has been followed and that the board of review has recommended the candidate for
the Eagle Scout rank. The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook and references are
retained by the council. The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook may be returned
to the Scout after council approval.
12. The Eagle Scout Service screens
the application to ascertain information such as proper signature, positions of
responsibility, tenure between ranks, and age of the candidate. Any item not meeting
national standards will cause the application to be returned for more information. If the
application is in order, the Scout is then certified as an Eagle Scout by the Eagle Scout
Service on behalf of the National Council. Notice of approval is given by sending the
Eagle Scout certificate to the local council. The date used on the certificate will be the
date of the board of review. The Eagle Award must not be sold or given to any unit until
after the certificate is received by the council service center. The Eagle Scout court of
honor should not be scheduled until the local council receives the Eagle Scout rank
credentials. "
IV. District Administrative Process.
To facilitate the smooth and orderly processing of Eagle Scout service project
proposals and the scheduling of Eagle Scout boards of review, the following administrative
procedure will be followed:
A. Eagle Scout Service Projects.
The District Advancement and Recognition
Committee is the final approval authority for Eagle Scout Service Projects. After
obtaining the approvals and signatures of his unit leader, his unit committee chairman,
and the beneficiary of his proposed project, a candidate must obtain the approval of the
District Advancement Committee BEFORE beginning the projects. The District
Advancement Committee is not authorized to approve projects after the fact or backdate
their approval. The appropriate process is thus:
- The Candidate obtains approval of his
proposed project from the unit leader, unit committee chairman, and the beneficiary of his
project;
- The candidate forwards his Eagle Scout
Service Project Workbook to the council service center with request for interview
with the District Advancement Committee;
- The council service center logs in the
proposal packet and forwards it to the chairman of the District Advancement Committee for
inclusion in the committee's next meeting agenda. Ordinarily, the committee meets
every month prior to the regularly month District Committee meeting (7:00 PM on the second
Monday of the month). If time has been determined to be a crucial factor, the
chairman may convene special meeting of the committee to review the candidate's project
proposal and to conduct an interview of him. Following the interview and approval,
the candidate's Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook is returned to him.
- After, and only after gaining the approval of
the District Advancement Committee, the candidate may commence work on his project, taking
care to incorporate any corrections or modifications the District Advancement Committee
may have stipulated as conditions for their approval.
B. Eagle Scout Boards of Review.
Upon receipt of a properly completed Eagle
Scout Rank application from the unit, the council service center will conduct its
verification and reference check process.
Because the Gulf Coast Council authorizes
the conduct of Eagle boards of review at the unit level, the assignment of a minimum of
one District representative to the board of review is required. The representative
shall be a member of the District Eagle Board, and assignment shall be made on a rotating
basis from amongst its members by the Chairman of the Eagle Board or by the District
Executive. This representative need not be the chairman of the Eagle board of
review, but may be presumed to have a superior working knowledge of current BSA policies
and procedures as they pertain to Eagle boards of review.
After the council service center has
completed its processing of the rank application, it will be returned to the chairman of
the Eagle board of review so that a board of review may be scheduled.
V. Appeals and Time Extensions.
Reference (b) also provides for the appeal of a decision reached by an Eagle board of
review, and for the request of time extensions beyond a candidate's 18th birthday.
A. Appeals. If a unit
leader or unit committee does not recommend a Scout for a board of review, or declines to
sign the Eagle Scout application, the Scout or other interested party may appeal the
decision to the next level. If the appropriate board of review does not recommend an
applicant for the rank advancement, the decision may be appealed to the next higher level
by the Scout, his leader or his parents. In ascending order, levels are unit,
district, local council, and National Boy Scout Committee. With all appeal
applications, the final decision rests with the National Boy Scout Committee.
B. Time Extensions. If
a Scout or Venturer foresees that he will be unable to complete the requirements for the
Eagle rank prior to his 18th birthday, he may file a petition in writing with the National
Boy Scout Committee through the local council. The petition must show good and
sufficient evidence and detail the extenuating circumstances that prevented the Scout from
completing the requirements prior to his 18th birthday. Extenuating circumstances
are defined as conditions or situations that are totally beyond the control of the Scout
or Venturer. If circumstances should also prevent a Scout or Venturer from
requesting the extension before he is 18, it is still permissible to ask for the
extension, detailing the extenuating circumstances that prevented him from completing the
requirements and from requesting the extension before age 18.
Boards of review held between three and six
months of a candidate's 18th birthday must be pre-approved by the local council, and a
statement by an adult explaining the reason for the delay must be attached to the Eagle
Scout Rank Application when it is submitted to the Eagle Scout Service at National
Headquarters. If an Eagle Scout board of review will be held more than six months
after the candidate's 18th birthday, the candidate must petition the National Boy Scout
Committee for an extension of time to hold the board of review. The petition must be
processed through the local council, detailing the extenuating circumstances that
prevented the board of review from being held within the six-month period following the
candidate's 18th birthday, and must be accompanied by a copy of the Eagle Scout Rank
Application.
Approved.
Kirby Smith- District Chairman
Paul Entrekin- Chairman, District
Advancement Committee
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