The Barron Park Association

The Board of the Barron Park Association had already planned a review in the Spring 2013 of its role as a chartering organization of a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) troop when, unexpectedly, we received word on February 1 that the BSA National Executive Board was considering a major change to its policies at a meeting a few days hence.  This came through an email from Ken Poulton, Troop 52 Scoutmaster, to BPA Board Member Doug Moran, the chartered organization representative.

For most of its history the BSA allowed individual troops to define their own moral rules on participants and leaders, but this had changed in recent decades. Today, the BSA restricts membership to certain class of individuals depending on their sexual orientation and also places requirements on their religious beliefs.  Ken said that the BSA might decide to drop its blanket discriminatory regulations at this upcoming meeting and return to its earlier policy of allowing each troop to define its own rules, and that those with opinions on the subject who want to influence the decision should act quickly and send in an email to the BSA National Executive Board.

To clarify the terminology, a group that sponsors of a Boy Scout troop is a “chartered organization.” The Annual Charter Agreement with the BSA states that we, the BPA, must “Conduct the Scouting program according to its own policies and guidelines as well as those of the Boy Scouts of America.” In effect, this says that in conducting or supervising the scout program, we are bound to the policies of the BSA, including the discriminatory policies, whether we personally approve them or not.

The Board of the BPA worked very quickly and issued the following statement, along with a letter sent to the national BSA leadership group, urging a change in their policies:

“BSA Membership Standards: End Discrimination Based on Sexual Preference

At a meeting on Wednesday, February 6, the Boy Scouts of America will be considering whether to end their national policy of excluding members based on sexual orientation. The Barron Park Association is the chartered organization for a local Boy Scout troop and in that role the Board of the BPA has sent the following email to the national Boy Scout leadership. We believe it accurately reflects neighborhood views as expressed in the many messages that were posted on the Barron Park email lists last fall, almost all of which opposed the national Boy Scout policy.”

The Barron Park Association has been the chartering organization for Boy Scout Troop 52 in Palo Alto, California, for 30 years.

We strongly support removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation. This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation. The chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs.

We believe that discrimination in Boy Scouts of America hurts communities, both in excluding boys and in proclaiming that such exclusion is justified. We reject both, as do a great many parents in our community. In fact, the continued sponsorship of the local troop has been called into question by an increasing number of community members. We urge you to change the BSA’s discriminatory policies.

Lynnie Melena, President of the Barron Park Association, the Chartered Organization for Troop 52

Douglas B. Moran, Chartered Organization Representative and an Eagle Scout (1960s)

However, it turned out that the BSA decided not to change its rules at the February meeting after all, instead postponing a decision on this issue until May. As a result, the BPA Board will postpone its review and wait until the BSA clarifies its position before deciding on whether to continue in its role as a chartered organization.

This issue of BSA discriminatory policies created quite a storm of discussion on the email lists in October. Many of those emails questioned whether the BPA should be sponsoring a BSA troop. There were a number emails on the other side as well, describing the merits and benefits to participants of the BSA program.

So we know this is an issue of great interest to many in our community. We want to use the next few months to hear from those in Barron Park community with opinions on all sides.  The question is not about the Boy Scouts but about whether the Barron Park Association should charter a Boy Scout troop. You can send in your thoughts in an email using the Contact Us form on this website, or contact any one of the Board members by clicking on the email link next to their pictures on the BPA Board page.