Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

Scouts have trouble recruiting in schools

By MICHAEL HINES

News-Mirror Writer

Despite a school district rule regarding how groups such as Cub Scouts can meet at schools, confusion still seems to remain regarding how those groups can reach out to youths.

The start of the school year may have many parents thinking about youth programs as well as many organizations looking to drum up members. Allowing groups to recruit members without opening up campuses to unwanted solicitations becomes an issue.

Sarah Jandrucko, assistant superintendent of elementary education, explained that the groups have been using school buildings for recruitment rallies and meetings for years with few if any problems.

The organizations fall under the category of Classification C in the district’s board policy under the Community Relations Non-School Use of School Facilities section. Those are character groups that promote civic responsibilities. In order to use the facilities, organizations must have at least 15 participants and an adult sponsor. The buildings are available Monday-Friday from the end of the school day until 8 p.m. Still, some issues have arisen concerning advertising opportunities.

The district doesn’t send home flyers with students, and groups aren’t allowed to approach youths on campus as they leave the school. The district doesn’t allow groups to put up signs regarding events nor does it let groups pass out information on campus, instead having them provide such things as flyers and pamphlets on a community table in the principal’s office or lobby. The information can then be looked at by parents who wish to view it.

"If we let them, we have to let everybody," Jandrucko said, explaining parents may balk at students returning home with ads for Hooters, real estate agencies or other for-profit entities. "It goes on and on."

But those rules can make things difficult in garnering new members. Amanda Lewis, district executive for the Longhorn Council of the Boy Scouts, has seen that issue.

"It’s just harder to advertise," she said.

What’s more, the rules don’t seem set in stone at some schools. More than anything, things seem to be at the discretion of principals, whose policies can vary widely.

Shelley Gayler, membership specialist of the Girls Scouts of Texas-Oklahoma Plains, said there have been incidents in which rules barring groups from passing out information on campus have been waived. Some schools have allowed some Scout organizers to pass out stickers during lunchtime in cafeterias and place information in teachers’ boxes to later distribute to youths.

"One principal might allow one youth group but not another," she said. "There’s no set rule. It’s all in who you know."

With such complications to recruiting come declines in participation.

For instance, Lewis has greater participation from Arlington school district youths and she points to that district’s willingness to allow information to go into teacher boxes. Kathy Eaton, co-service unit manager for the Everdale Fields Community that oversees all of the Mansfield school district Girl Scout area, didn’t have numbers but has noticed the trend.

"We’ve gone down," she said. "It’s harder to reach people."

For the Boy Scouts, recent years have also seen drops. New Boy Scout numbers had drifted between nearly 500 and 700 each year from 2002-2005, but 2006 saw fewer than 400 new members join. The overall number of Boy Scouts in Mansfield fell from 2,625 at the end of 2002 to 2,072 Scouts by the end of 2006.