National Boy Scouts bankruptcy should not impact local scouting

The Boy Scouts of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday as it faces a wave of lawsuits over sexual-abuse allegations, but this will not affect the operations of the Boy Scouts’ Montana Council.

“Montana Council has not filed for bankruptcy” as local councils “are legally separate and distinct organizations,” a press release from the Montana Council stated.

“Scouting programs will continue,” the press release continues. “This means that unit meetings and activities, district and council events, other Scouting adventures and countless service projects will take place as usual.”

“The national organization of the Boy Scouts of America is the only entity involved in the Chapter 11 filing,” Dirk Smith, Montana Council chief executive officer, said in an email sent Tuesday afternoon.

“The Montana Council – which provides programming, financial, facility and administrative support to local units and individual Scouts in our area – is separate and distinct from the national organization. Our camps, properties and all local contributions are controlled by our council.”

The national organization is trying to manage both public relations and internal crises as the scope of abuse within the organization becomes clear. In 2019, an expert hired by the Boy Scouts to investigate the crisis found that over 7,800 troop leaders and volunteers abused at least 12,254 victims between 1944 and 2016, according to reporting by ABC News in April 2019.

“Tragically, there have been times when individuals took advantage of the BSA’s programs to harm children. The BSA firmly believes that a proposed Victims Compensation Trust structure is the best means of compensating victims in a way that is equitable and protects their identities,” states a press release from the national organization.

It adds, “Scouting will continue to provide unparalleled programs to young people – keeping them safe, supported and protected as it prepares them for their futures.”

Youth membership in Boy Scouts has declined more than 26 percent in the last decade, according to a report from the Washington Post. To help combat this, the organization announced in October 2017 it would begin to accept girls.

Boy Scouts of America set up a website – bsarestructuring.org – to keep people informed about the organization’s restructuring and bankruptcy process.

Leadership from the Boy Scouts’ Northwest District of Montana – which is made up of Flathead and Lincoln counties – could not be reached for comment.

Reporter Colin Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or cgaiser@dailyinterlake.com