Feds to Investigate Possible Discrimination of Boy Scouts

CNSNews.com ^ | 4/01/02 | Jim Burns

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Department of Education will investigate a complaint filed against a Maryland county that alleges government officials there broke the law by discriminating against the Boy Scouts of America.

A group calling itself the Public Advocate of the United States filed the complaint against Montgomery County, Md. for the county's decision to reverse a long-standing policy and bill the Boy Scouts for meeting space on public school property. The scouts had previously met on the same property for decades at no charge.

The Boy Scouts are still feeling the effects of their highly publicized policy to exclude homosexuals from leadership positions - a policy defended by the U.S. Supreme Court in a ruling two years ago.

The Education reform law President Bush signed earlier this year, titled the No Child Left Behind Act, contained a provision protecting the Boy Scouts. It's the same provision Eugene Delgaudio, executive director of Public Advocate, cited in his complaint.

Delgaudio received a letter from the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, confirming that the office will investigate the Maryland case.

"We have determined that the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act applies to the Montgomery County Public Schools (the District) and therefore we have opened your complaint against the District," Myra Coleman, of the Department of Education, wrote.

"Under the (No Child Left Behind) act, these entities may not deny equal access or a fair opportunity to meet, or otherwise discriminate against, any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, or any other youth group listed in title 36 of the United States Code," Coleman stated.

"OCR (Office For Civil Rights) has determined that it has jurisdiction over this allegation, and we will begin our attempt to resolve it shortly. Our objective is the prompt, appropriate resolution of the allegation in this complaint," Coleman wrote.

According to Delgaudio, the controversy should never have reached this far.

"Montgomery County officials have been given repeated chances to obey federal statute and reverse these fees to punish the Boy Scouts of America because of their moral virtues. Now that the federal government is investigating these abuses, hopefully the county will no longer ignore the law of the land," said Delgaudio.

Public Advocate contends that the education reform law contains a provision that could result in Montgomery County losing its $40 million in federal education funding because of the way it has treated the local Boy Scout chapter.

The Interagency Coordinating Board for the Use of Public Facilities is an independent agency that administers activities on school property for the Montgomery County government. The board insists the Boy Scouts are being treated fairly.

"Why should any one group be treated differently from all of our other non-profit organizations. They, along with the other worthy organizations, should be paying the same non-profit rate. We are talking about three dollars an hour," said Ginny Gong, director of the Interagency Coordinating Board.

"The decision was not just for Boy Scouts, it was for all scouting groups. We are talking about 4-H, Girl Scouts and all of these groups are impacted. It is the interest of this board to make sure that we are not discriminating against any group.

"Therefore," Gong emphasized, "in the interest of equity and fair treatment of all non-profit organizations, and we have a lot of non-profits using our facilities, the board made the decision to charge the scouts, like all the other groups, a reduced non-profit rate. This was so that every group would be treated fairly."

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[Dialup Llama]

>The Boy Scouts are still feeling the effects of their highly publicized policy to exclude homosexuals from leadership positions -

One of the effects the Scouts are experiencing is a strange lack of abuse and predation cases unlike another organization recently in the news.

[Redleg Duke]

Yeah, along with increased direct donations, by-passing the United Way.

[catonsville]

Montgomery County Maryland. Probably the most liberal, inane, looney-left area in the country.

[pfflier]

Go get em! Trap them in their own web of regulations.

[jwalsh07]

Public Advocate contends that the education reform law contains a provision that could result in Montgomery County losing its $40 million in federal education funding because of the way it has treated the local Boy Scout chapter.

LOL, a lot of panties in a twist over this.

[doug from upland]

I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the Education Reform Bill. How did the RATS allow a provision protecting the Scouts?

Actually, this might not be the right case to fight if all non-profits are being charged the same rate.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Rather than file lawsuits,the government officials and organizations which are brazenly violating the law should be threatened with serious jail time.This will bring better and more positive results plus the added benefit of frightening those who would plan similar discrimination against the Boy Scouts.

[lizma]

The decision was not just for Boy Scouts, it was for all scouting groups.

I was a Girl Scout troop leader in Montgomery Kounty last year when this was announced. They're not fooling anybody on this one. Everybody here knows it's to punish the Boy Scouts. It's even p.o.ed a lot of demorats (probably not enough though).

[RamsNo1]

I agree. Isn't this the same place that didn't want Santa Claus?

[cajungirl]

Well, aren't we all relieved that they have put aside searching grannies for bombs at airports to let those boy scouts know they cannot keep predators out of their troops!! And to heck with those terrorists abounding when there are hurt feelings of those gay guys who want to be scout leaders!! Priorities folks,,hurt feelings and frisking grannies over peace loving bomb carrying muslims.

[concerned about politics]

Public Advocate contends that the education reform law contains a provision that could result in Montgomery County losing its $40 million in federal education funding because of the way it has treated the local Boy Scout chapter.

Drop the funding now. This wouldn't even be going to court if the facts weren't already available.

The scouts are right. Remember to send them your donations. The kids are the victims here, not the homosexuals.

[KC_Conspirator]

Maybe Marin County, home of Johnny Taliban, could only be considered worse than Montgomery County, home of he smoking police.

[uncbob]

The Boy Scouts are still feeling the effects of their highly publicized policy to exclude homosexuals from leadership positions - a policy defended by the U.S. Supreme Court in a ruling two years ago.

If my memory is correct that was only a 5 to 4er .Scary

One more lib on the court and it's homo time

Imagine if the Catholic Church bars homos from being priests( don't bet on it though), I guess they could be sued for discrimantion just like the BSA and with one more LIB on the court well you get the picture

[uncbob]

BTW I might add what really gauls me about the homos is that they have to infiltrate existing organizations that have worked hard to come into existence and prosper.

These worthless creeps can't start their own organizations because NO normal people would join and they would collapse

[hattend]

Imagine if the Catholic Church bars homos from being priests

I imagine they do. The priests just don't come out of the closet until they are caught.

[Dimensio]

Imagine if the Catholic Church bars homos from being priests( don't bet on it though), I guess they could be sued for discrimantion just like the BSA and with one more LIB on the court well you get the picture

The Catholic Church is a private religious organization as already recognized by the US government. The USSC ruling was on whether or not the BSA was a private religious organization -- and the ruling that they were such was why they were exempt from New Jersey's law. As such a discrimination lawsuit against the Catholic Church would be of a different nature and less likely anyway because non-discrimination clauses always allow for exemptions by "private religious institutions".

[Salvation]

BSA bump!

[evad]

Yeah, along with increased direct donations, by-passing the United Way.

I sure hope that's true...I know that's what I'm doing.