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Local scouting groups urge Bordentown board to reverse decision barring scouting regalia at graduation
Summary
Local scouting families told the board they are ‘‘exceptionally disappointed’’ by a retroactive decision to bar scouting honor regalia at graduation and asked the district to reconsider, saying scouting projects have historically benefited the schools.
Members of the Bordentown scouting community urged the board to reverse a recent decision that disallows scouting honor regalia at high-school graduation, saying the change retroactively excludes long-standing student recognition.
Cory Brit, speaking on behalf of local scout units, read a letter saying the community is "exceptionally disappointed in the retroactive decision to disallow the scouting honor boards of graduation," and asked the board to "reconsider the decision to not allow the scouting related reports during graduation." He said several graduating seniors earned Eagle Scout and Girl Scout Gold recognitions and that those awards long predate the district's current policy and have historically been displayed and recognized by the schools.
Brit told the board the scouts' service projects have directly benefited district schools and that the decision "feels misguided" because it treats longstanding community practice as extraneous to graduation recognition. He requested the board consider reversing the decision "not just for this year but for all the years to come." The letter attached to his remarks notes that several senior scouts would be affected this year and cites percentages of national earners to underline the awards' rarity.
Board members did not announce an immediate decision at the meeting. The public comment closed and the board moved to other business; the matter remains open for board consideration or administrative follow-up.
