Scheduling a Board of Review

Nora sent in a question about scheduling a Board of Review (BOR) in Scouts BSA.

Our Scouts BSA Troop requires that Scouts BSA request a BOR by phone call at least two days in advance. At our last meeting, the Advancment Chair and some committee members conducted a BOR for one of the Scouts. Afterwards, a different Scout approached the Advancement chair and asked him to arrange a BOR for his First Class rank. He is going to camp in a few days and wants to meet OA eligibility requirements. He was told no, he must call him instead of asking him in person. This seems like he is putting an additional requirement on the Scout. Is this allowed?

So their troop requires Scouts to ask for a BOR by phone call at least two days in advance. At a meeting, a Scout asked the Advancement Chair in person for a BOR. He wanted to do it before going to camp to meet the Order of the Arrow (OA) requirements. He was told no, because he didn’t call. The reader wondered if this was allowed.

This situation raises a good question about scheduling a board of review. Can a troop require a phone call before granting a BOR? The Scout asked in person, but still got turned down. Was this fair? Was this an extra requirement?

In this article, we’ll take a look at what the rules say about scheduling a Board of Review.

What Is a Board of Review?

A BOR is part of the rank advancement process in Scouts BSA. It happens after a Scout finishes all the requirements for a rank, including a Scoutmaster conference. The BOR is run by the troop committee. It helps check that the Scout is ready for their new rank.

The BOR is not a test. The committee members ask the Scout questions about their Scouting experience. They see if the Scout understands the skills and values they’ve learned. It’s also a time for the Scout to give feedback about the troop.

Once a Scout has completed everything for their rank, they are allowed to have a BOR. That’s the rule. The Scout does not have to arrange scheduling a Board of Review on their own.

Read more about this topic in What Is a Board of Review?

What Do the Rules Say?

According to the Guide to Advancement (Section 8.0.0.2), a Scout cannot be denied a BOR if they have finished all the rank requirements. The troop must give the Scout a BOR when they are ready. They cannot add extra steps like asking the Scout to call, send an email, or do something else to request it.

8.0.0.2 Boards of Review Must Be Granted When Requirements Are Met
A Scout shall not be denied this opportunity. When a Scout believes that all the requirements for a rank have been completed, including a Scoutmaster conference, a board of review must be granted. Scoutmasters—or councils or districts in the case of the Eagle Scout rank— for example, do not have authority to expect a Scout to request or organize one, or to “defer” the Scout, or to ask the Scout to perform beyond the requirements in order to be granted one. Neither can a board of review be denied or postponed due to issues such as uniforming, payment of dues, participation in fundraising activities, etc.

The rules are clear. A troop cannot make extra requirements. They cannot delay or deny a BOR because of things like wearing the uniform, not paying dues, or anything that is not in the requirements for that rank.

In this case, it seems the Scout was given an extra step for scheduling a board of review —calling instead of asking in person. This should not have happened. The Scout was ready, and the troop should have helped arrange the BOR.

Is a Phone Call an Extra Requirement for Scheduling a Board of Review?

So, is requiring a phone call to request scheduling a board of review an extra step? According to the Guide to Advancement, it looks like it is. The Scout should not have to jump through extra hoops. Asking in person should have been enough.

The BOR process should be about helping the Scout move forward. If they’ve done everything for the rank, they should get their BOR. Troops cannot add other ways the Scout has to ask. Whether they ask in person, by text, or by phone, the result should be the same. The Scout is ready, so a BOR should be scheduled.

In this case, the troop could have proceeded with scheduling a board of review even though the Scout didn’t call. Adding the phone call rule isn’t allowed.

How Should Troops Schedule a BOR?

It’s important for troops to make it easy for Scouts to schedule a BOR. The troop should have a clear process that works for everyone. This way, Scouts don’t have to worry about missing deadlines or extra steps.

The Advancement Chair or Scoutmaster should communicate with the Scouts regularly about when BORs are available. Scouts should also be reminded to plan ahead when they think they will need a BOR, especially before big events like camp. But the Advancement Chair must also remember that the adult leadership is there to support the Scouts and help them succeed. Sometimes flexibility is called for.

Keeping things simple for scheduling a Board of Review is best. The troop can help Scouts succeed by making the BOR process easy to understand and follow.

Frequently Asked Questions about Scheduling a Board of Review

Does a Scout have to call to request a Board of Review?

No, a Scout does not have to call to request a Board of Review. According to the Guide to Advancement, a troop cannot add extra requirements like needing a phone call. If the Scout has completed all the rank requirements, they should be able to request a Board of Review in any reasonable way, such as asking in person.

Can a troop require a Scout to request a Board of Review in a specific way?

No, the Guide to Advancement says troops cannot make extra requirements for scheduling a Board of Review. This means a troop cannot force Scouts to ask in a certain way, like by phone or email. The troop must arrange the Board of Review when the Scout has completed all the requirements.

What should a Scout do if they need help scheduling a Board of Review?

If a Scout is ready for a Board of Review but is unsure how to schedule it, they should talk to their Scoutmaster or Advancement Chair. The troop should explain the process clearly and help the Scout schedule the Board of Review as soon as possible.

Can a troop delay a Board of Review for reasons like uniforms or dues?

No, a troop cannot delay or deny a Board of Review for reasons like wearing the uniform, paying dues, or anything not related to the rank requirements. Once a Scout is ready, the troop should help with scheduling a Board of Review right away.

What happens if a Scout is turned down after asking for a Board of Review?

If a Scout is turned down after asking for a Board of Review, they should talk to their Scoutmaster or the troop’s Advancement Chair. The troop should not deny or delay the Board of Review if the Scout has completed all the necessary requirements.

Final Thoughts about Scheduling a Board of Review

In the situation described, the Scout should have been granted a BOR without needing to call first. The rules from the Guide to Advancement are clear that troops cannot add extra steps for requesting a BOR. If a Scout is ready, the BOR should be arranged.

It’s important for troops to follow the BSA guidelines. Adding extra steps, like requiring a phone call, can hold Scouts back. We want Scouts to succeed, not face extra barriers.

What do you think, readers? Have you experienced similar situations in your troop when scheduling a Board of review? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments!

Posted on

December 10, 2024

Comments

12 responses to “Scheduling a Board of Review in 2024: Set Your Scouts Up for Success”

Scoutmaster Shawn

June 13, 2014

This troop is doing the Scouts an injustice. Yes, this is adding requirements. Unless there were prior commitments on behalf of the BoR members that just completed a BoR, and they *all* had to leave the meeting immediately, they should have asked for 5 minutes to get ready, and then proceed with this Scout’s review. Reply to this mother that this is just the beginning of troubles with this troop, and it may be time to start looking for another troop.

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1. Bruce
  
  October 5, 2016
  
  A boy may request a review at anytime. Shawn is correct this Troop sounds like it is in trouble. Leaders should not be making it harder for boys to advance.
  
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Donald SM

June 13, 2014

When a young man asks for a BOR we have one that night providing we we have the proper adults or older scouts that know the requirements to be on a BOR. The only time we do not hold one is if the youth has approached us at the end of a meeting. We request that they ask during the first half hour so that we have time to review the requirements, gather the BOR people from those that are not involved in that nights program.

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Robin

June 13, 2014

As advancement chair for our troop, I always carry my calendar with me to enable scouts to schedule their BoR. Our Scoutmaster gives me a sheet that lets me know which scouts have completed all the requirements for their respective ranks and are ready for their BoR. I have given the scouts many ways to request their board, using email, phone, text or just asking in person at a meeting. I have always felt that it is my duty to accommodate them as quickly as I can so they can continue on their trail.

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ScrapQueenJenn

June 13, 2014

It is my opinion that this Advancement Chair may have asked this because there was not enough time left for a Board. Additionally I would suggest that maybe the Advancement Chair wanted a phone call so that he/she remembers who the request came from. I can tell you that by the end of the meeting so many questions and other things have happened that I have trouble remembering what someone might have asked of me etc. Sometimes I ASK them to please remind me by sending me an email. Also, a Board of Review form should be printed so that the Board members can sign it at the end of the BOR. The advancement chair will also need to check his records to be sure the scout is in fact ready for the board.

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DS

June 14, 2014

In our Troop, the scouts can request a BoR any way they want (phone, email, in-person). Generally, they ask in-person at the end of a Troop meeting. We have one person who schedules the BoR. As soon as she is able to schedule/arrange it with other board members, then she gets in touch with the scout and lets him know. Troop meetings are on Mondays so often the BoR is scheduled for Tuesday of the next week. If there were extenuating circumstances, such as the scout mentioned above trying to be OA eligible, we would do everything we could to make that happen if everything else was in order.

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Tina

June 15, 2014

We have gone to set, monthly BOR due to demand. We also ensure we have one the week before each of our two summer camps and our winter camp. We prefer online signups or via email so we can be sure we have enough coverage and time. Most BOR members are parents and cannot stay too late on a school night. Movng to a set monthly schedule has really helped with volunteers and scheduled. It has taught responsibilty to the scouts and respect for our volunteer’s time.

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Adrienne K

June 17, 2014

I have a few questions I’d ask the reader first: As others have said, how late into the meeting did the Scout come forward? If he knew he was bumping up against a deadline, how far in advance had he been preparing?

I think it’s a bit much to say that they can *only* be scheduled via phone call but in our Troop, we had to set up a better structure to scheduling the Boards of Review because the boys were not respecting the committee. I think Troops need to have guidelines and policies for the benefit of everyone involved – both out of consideration for the volunteers and within reason for the boys to understand following basic guidelines and respecting others’ time. For example, we have committee meetings one night a month, so we made it clear that we could not hold a BOR and a CC on the same night. We had boys scheduling their Scoutmaster conferences and their BOR on the same night. We don’t mind if they tell us “My SMC is the 1st, can I schedule my BOR on the 8th” before they pass the SMC – but both in one night would mean that the BOR would last longer than the meeting – it would start very close to the end of the meeting. That’s not a reasonable expectation so we made a policy not to do that. We also had boys bunching up the week before the Court of Honor – we ran out of time at that last meeting before the COH because everyone would wait until THAT night for their BORs. So we set deadlines for the COH. That doesn’t mean we won’t have the BOR, but we can’t guarantee that the award will be ready at the COH.

We have very rarely had to make exceptions, but if a Scout has been working hard and/or other factors have thrown obstacles in his path, we can be compassionate and make an exception. On the other hand, we have had some boys that expect exceptions every. single. time. The boy who always comes up 5 minutes after the meeting is over and asking for time with the SM or even for a BOR. So my next question for Nora would be: Is this a Scout who habitually ignores Troop guidelines or policies? Had he been “warned” that he needed to make arrangements ahead of time but he ignored the adults?

I would like to think that the committee could make an exception for the boy, but I do have a lot of questions for the boy. If he’s worthy of OA and worthy of the rank, he should know how to read a calendar and prepare ahead of time. My sons just came home from a week of NYLT with stories of VERY unscout-like behavior from SEVERAL boys at camp. VERY unscoutlike. So I tend to err on the side of expecting the boys to meet and respect standards.

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Theresa F

July 27, 2014

Awsome job, Adrienne!

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Bert

January 11, 2016

As a SM, I expected the scout to schedule SMCs with me and I would notify the Committee Chair that the scout was eligible for his BoR and expected the CC to coordinate the BoR in a timely manner.

See the guide to advancement:
8.0.0.2 Boards of Review Must Be Granted When Requirements Are Met –
A Scout shall not be denied this opportunity. When he believes he has completed all the requirements for a rank, including a Scoutmaster conference, a board of review must be granted. *** Scoutmasters *** —or councils or districts in the case of the Eagle Scout rank—for example, ***do not have authority to expect a boy to request or organize one***, or to “defer” him, or to ask him to perform beyond the requirements in order to be granted one.

Concerning Court of Honors, there are always last minute pushes. We schedule SM conferences two weeks out and BoRs one week out. This seems to “help” the boys plan and eliminate a lot of the last minute conflicts.

While there have been times when we’ve had to tell a scout “next week” because of last minute requests, we have conducted SMCs/BoRs in the same night when we’ve had a head’s up.

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Sue

October 8, 2019

Questions please:
1. is there a requirement that there must be a certain amount of meetings per school year? Meetings length of time (ie hour)?
2. Understanding boy scouts should be boy led and promote responsibility, do boys request when they are ready for a board of review?
3. Merit badges – some do merit badges during troop meetings, others say not permitted and boys must do on their own?
Thank you in advance.

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Panky

March 24, 2023

Hi All,

As Advancement Chair for my Troop , I have been so considerate for boys to accommodate them as much as possible during each Troop meeting. For COH we set 2 weeks of cut of time so we can arrange and get all things in place to COH.

but some pushy parents had BOR a week before and asking to get included in the following week COH and went to BSA store and get their pins and all other stuff. And strange thing our CC was supporting these parents interfere.

What’s best way to deal with CC and such pushy parents.

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