INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A national youth organization needs to be more transparent about its history when visiting elementary schools to recruit members, the local Moms for Liberty chapter claims.
The group in question: Cub Scouts.
Permission forms were sent to Beachland Elementary school parents, informing them of a planned Cub Scouts presentation at the school this week. Parents were given the choice to have their children opt out of the presentation.
“Why is this in our schools?” asked Jennifer Pippin, chair of the local Moms for Liberty chapter, in an Aug. 21 email to Superintendent David Moore and School Board members. “Why are we allowing Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) to distribute permission slips and recruit inside our elementary schools after being directly involved in one of the largest sexual abuse settlements in U.S. history?”
A Beachland Elementary parent sent the form to Pippin, she said.
State law allows Scouting America — the 115-year-old organization formerly known as Boy Scouts of America — to hold recruiting activities on public school campuses. Indian River officials asked for a legal opinion after receiving Pippin’s email, said district spokeswoman Kyra Schafte.
House Bill 1317, signed into law in 2024, identifies groups such as the Boy Scouts of America as “patriotic organizations” with an education purpose to promote civic involvement and patriotism in public schools, Schafte said in an email. The district works within the federal and state laws and district policy to “ensure that our practices remain consistent, transparent and aligned with both state requirements and local governance,” she said.
“While the district fulfills these legal requirements, families ultimately make their own decisions about participation,” Schafte said. “The school district remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding students, upholding transparency and ensuring families have the information they need to choose what is best for their child.”
For its part, Scouting America officials say the organization also adheres to state laws and school district guidelines.
“For 95 years, Cub Scouting has introduced America youth to the principles of good citizenship, patriotism, adventure and fun,” Scouting America said in a statement. “All across America we enjoy partnerships with schools, churches and civic organizations to recruit and host Cub Scout units in cooperation with local volunteer leaders. Cub Scouts provides a safe, encouraging environment for elementary-aged boys and girls to make friends, be helpful to others and do their very best no matter the outcome.”
Pippin, who acknowledges the legal right of the organization to be on campus, said she objects to the permission form omitting mention of the group’s history, specifically a lawsuit involving alleged sexual abuse of its members and the organization’s bankruptcy.
Boy Scouts of America filed bankruptcy in 2020 in the face of some 1,400 claims from thousands of former members who claimed they were abused by troop leaders or others associated with the organization. Today the number of claimants exceeds more than 80,000.
In 2023, Boys Scouts of America announced its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and creation of a $2.46 billion Victims Compensation Trust as part of its reorganization plan. In 2024, the organization announced a rebranding to Scouting America, effective Feb. 8, 2025.
Its programs include the Cub Scouts for elementary-age boys and girls; and Scouts BSA for ages 11-17.
“The permission slip and the process followed by the school district is legal, but it isn’t transparent,” Pippin said in an email to Moore and School Board members.
Local Moms for Liberty members agreed last week to launch their own campaign on the issue — sending emails and posting on social media, encouraging parents to opt their children out of attending the presentation, Pippin said. Although her child participated in the scouting program in elementary school, Pippin said, she would no longer allow that to happen given the organization’s history.
Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Moms for Liberty chapter: Cub Scouts aren’t being ‘transparent’ in school recruiting
Reporting by Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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