The Board of Review, Start to Finish

8.0.0.2. The requirements are complete, Scoutmaster conference included

The starting point for every rank except Scout, which has no board of review. What counts is that the Scout believes the requirements are done — a leader who disagrees may say so, but may not use that view to stop what follows.

Milestone

8.0.0.3. Keep the wrong people off the board Often forgotten

Unit leaders and assistants must not serve for a Scout in their own unit. Parents, guardians and relatives must not serve for their own child. Neither the candidate nor the family has any part in choosing the members.

Requirement

Board members who cannot be fair and impartial should recuse themselves. Where a member has already decided before the board that the Scout should be turned down, they should first talk it through with the unit leader or others who know the Scout.

8.0.2.0. Tenderfoot through Life: unit committee members May not apply

Three to six registered unit committee members, no more and no less. Where fewer than three are available it is permissible to use knowledgeable parents — not the candidate's — or other adults 21 or over, but that must be the exception rather than the rule.

Requirement

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

8.0.3.0. Eagle at unit level: a district or council representative must serve May not apply

At least one, not affiliated with the unit. More if the unit asks. Three to six members in all, every one at least 21; they need not be registered, but must understand the rank and the purpose of the review.

Requirement

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

8.0.1.6. Videoconference, only where in person is unreasonable Optional May not apply

Boards are meant to be face to face. Videoconferencing is for the rare case — communicable disease, college, the military, a very remote home — where it is unreasonable to expect long travel or a wait of several months.

Event

You have not answered "Will the board be held by videoconference?" yet.

Videoconference Eagle boards are a local council decision; other ranks may hold them without council approval. All members must be visible to the Scout and any observers visible to the members, nobody within hearing may be off camera, equipment must be tested beforehand, the Guide to Safe Scouting applies for Scouts under 18, and the review must not be recorded.

8.0.1.0. Decide who is in the room

The unit leader may stay to observe but not to take part unless asked, and the board may exclude them or any other observer. Youth observers are not permitted. Parents and guardians should not attend in any capacity; if they insist, they must be allowed in as observers.

Requirement

8.0.1.1. It is not a retest Often forgotten

Never an examination, and never a challenge to what the Scout knows. In most cases it should be a celebration. A Scout must not be turned down for anything unrelated to the requirements — not for forgetting a handbook, and not for being late.

Requirement

8.0.1.2. What the board talks about

Where skills were learned, who taught them, and what the Scout got out of meeting the requirements. How the Scout has lived the Oath and Law at home, at school, in the unit and in the community. Questions about specific requirements may only be about the rank under review.

Task

8.0.1.2. Notes: optional, confidential, destroyed afterwards Recommended

Minutes are not required but are a good idea, and are recommended for Eagle. They stay confidential to the board and to administrators who need them, and are destroyed once the review or any appeal is finished. Voice and video recording is prohibited.

Document

Recording a board of review, by voice or video, is prohibited. Notes are destroyed after the Scout passes, or after the national decision where an Eagle appeal is running.

8.0.1.5. Or the board adjourns, to be reconvened Optional

Where the board thinks the Scout can properly finish a requirement, and the Scout is still eligible, it may adjourn and meet again — the same members if possible. It needs the Scout's agreement; without it the board must decide there and then.

Decision

8.0.1.5. Not approved Optional

The Scout is told, and told what can be done to improve. Nothing about the deliberation itself is passed on.

Milestone

11.3.0.0. Beyond 24 months: a Belated Rank Application Optional May not apply

Submitted by the candidate, a parent or guardian, the unit leader or a unit committee member. Evidence of completion goes through the local council to the National Program Committee. Only a well-documented and compelling application succeeds.

Document

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

8.0.1.5. The board reconvenes and decides Optional

The adjourned board meets again once the requirement has been properly completed, and reaches one of the same two outcomes. An Eagle candidate has only one board of review, though it may be adjourned and reconvened like any other.

Event

8.0.1.5. A follow-up letter, promptly May not apply Often forgotten

Required for a turned-down Scout of any rank. It must set out the actions advised that may lead to advancement and explain the appeal procedure. Copies go to the council's designated appeals coordinator, the council advancement chair and the staff advisor, and the council keeps one.

Document

You have not answered "Has the board been held, and how did it go?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.1.5. Not approved.

For Eagle the letter must be sent within two weeks, with a copy to the council's designated appeals coordinator, along with the reference letters, the project workbook if the project is at issue, the names of the board members and their notes. If the Scout does not appeal, that documentation is destroyed or the workbook returned.

8.0.3.1. Eagle: the board may be held up to 24 months after the 18th birthday Optional May not apply

Without any special approval. Every other requirement must still have been completed before the 18th birthday — or before the expiry of an approved time extension.

Milestone

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The requirements are complete, Scoutmaster conference included.

8.0.4.0. Only the Scout or a parent or guardian may appeal Optional May not apply

Nobody else — not the unit, not a leader. Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class decisions are not appealable at all. Star and Life may be appealed to the local council. Only Eagle goes to the National Council.

Decision

You have not answered "Has the board been held, and how did it go?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.1.5. A follow-up letter, promptly.

Adverse decisions for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class are not appealable. Star and Life may be appealed to the local council, where the National Program Committee is available for advice only. The National Council reviews appeals for the Eagle Scout rank alone.

8.0.0.2. The Scout asks for a board of review

Unit leadership is meant to be tracking advancement and encouraging Scouts to ask as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting to be chased.

Task

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The requirements are complete, Scoutmaster conference included and 8.0.3.1. Eagle: the board may be held up to 24 months after the 18th birthday.

8.0.4.1. The appeal letter, within two months May not apply

Sent to the council service centre for the attention of the council advancement committee, setting out why it is believed the requirements were met, with the denial letter attached. Two months runs from receiving that letter.

Document

You have not answered "Has the board been held, and how did it go?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.4.0. Only the Scout or a parent or guardian may appeal.

8.0.0.2. The board is granted and scheduled promptly Often forgotten

It must not be denied, deferred, or delayed for anything unrelated to the requirements — uniforming, dues, fundraising, or a view that the Scout should do more. Nobody may make the Scout organise it.

Approval

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The Scout asks for a board of review.

Where there is real concern the requirements have not been met, the right response is to tell the Scout they might not pass and suggest what would improve the chances. It is still the Scout's decision whether to go ahead.

8.0.4.1. The council advancement committee routes it May not apply

Every appeal goes to the council advancement committee first so that they are all handled the same way. A designated appeals coordinator gets the paperwork to the right place and briefs whoever will hear it. A unit decision is best heard by the district; one already heard by a district goes to the council.

Task

You have not answered "Has the board been held, and how did it go?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.4.1. The appeal letter, within two months.

8.0.3.0. Eagle: the council decides who administers the board May not apply

Council advancement committees must determine, and make known, whether unit committees or the district or council committee administer Eagle boards, and how chairs are selected.

Decision

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The board is granted and scheduled promptly.

8.0.3.0. Eagle: the council verifies the application first May not apply Often forgotten

The board must not take place until the local council has verified the application. Under disputed circumstances, the council verifies everything that is not in dispute before the board is scheduled.

Approval

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The board is granted and scheduled promptly.

An Eagle board of review must not be denied or postponed because references have not replied. See "References Contacted", 9.0.1.7.

8.0.3.2. Eagle only: a board of review under disputed circumstances Optional May not apply

Held at district or council level with nobody from the candidate's unit involved. Indicated where the unit leader or committee chair will not sign, a Scoutmaster conference is refused, the beneficiary or leader will not approve a finished project, or there is legitimate concern the unit cannot give a fair hearing.

Event

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The board is granted and scheduled promptly.

A council or district should rarely refuse a request for a board under disputed circumstances, but may where the request is frivolous or the concern about a fair hearing is invalid. The ordinary board is then held, and a denial there can still be appealed.

8.0.4.2. The appeal board researches the case beforehand May not apply

Members are organised in advance and gather written statements or telephone interview summaries from those with knowledge of the case, with every effort made at balanced representation. Only board members and administrators who need to know may see the evidence.

Task

You have not answered "Has the board been held, and how did it go?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.4.1. The council advancement committee routes it.

8.0.0.3. Three to six members, every one of them at least 21

No fewer than three, no more than six. One member serves as chair; how the chair is chosen is up to the unit committee.

Approval

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The board is granted and scheduled promptly and 8.0.3.0. Eagle: the council decides who administers the board.

8.0.2.0. The chair sets the date, time and place

Somewhere comfortable — the unit meeting place or a camp setting for most ranks; Eagle boards are often held somewhere more formal. Boards may also be held for Scouts who are not advancing.

Task

Usually comes after 8.0.0.2. The board is granted and scheduled promptly and 8.0.3.0. Eagle: the council verifies the application first.

8.0.4.1. Three or five members hear the appeal May not apply

An odd number, all objective volunteers who know advancement and appeals procedure. Nobody who sat on the original board or an earlier appeal may serve. It is not another board of review: it looks only at the issues that caused the rejection, and a majority decides.

Event

You have not answered "Has the board been held, and how did it go?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.4.2. The appeal board researches the case beforehand.

8.0.3.0. Eagle: the members read the file beforehand May not apply

Members should convene at least 30 minutes before the board to go over the application, the references and the service project workbook.

Task

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.0.3. Three to six members, every one of them at least 21.

8.0.0.4. Wear the uniform, or be clean and neat Recommended

The full field uniform is preferred — as much of it as the Scout owns, worn as correctly as possible. Where that is impractical, clean and neat and dressed appropriately according to the Scout's means is enough.

Task

8.0.4.1. The appeal decision May not apply

A written report of the details and the reasons goes to the council Scout executive, with a copy to the Scout. A decision in the Scout's favour is final at any level — units, districts and councils may not appeal it.

Milestone

You have not answered "Has the board been held, and how did it go?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.4.1. Three or five members hear the appeal.

8.0.1.0. Hold the review

Some formality and real questions, but a relaxed atmosphere and the Scout Law in mind. About 15 minutes for most ranks and no longer than 30; Eagle boards run 30 to 45.

Event

Usually comes after 8.0.2.0. The chair sets the date, time and place, 8.0.0.3. Three to six members, every one of them at least 21 and 2 others.

8.0.4.1. Eagle only: the appeal to the National Council Optional May not apply

After a council-level Eagle board or appeal board rejects a candidate, the Scout or a parent or guardian may appeal through the local council to the National Program Committee or its designee. A rejection delivered there is final.

Approval

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

Usually comes after 8.0.4.1. The appeal decision.

8.0.1.4. The board deliberates out of the Scout's hearing

The Scout waits outside or out of hearing range. The board may call the Scout back if another question would clear something up.

Decision

Usually comes after 8.0.1.0. Hold the review.

8.0.1.4. Approval must be unanimous

Every member must agree. If one dissents the decision cannot be approval — and the Scout is never told what was said or who said it, only what needs to improve.

Approval

Usually comes after 8.0.1.4. The board deliberates out of the Scout's hearing.

8.0.1.5. Approved

The Scout is called back in and congratulated.

Milestone

Usually comes after 8.0.1.4. Approval must be unanimous and 8.0.1.5. The board reconvenes and decides.

8.0.1.5. The board of review date is the rank's effective date Often forgotten

Not the court of honour, which may be months later. Time-based requirements for the next rank run from this date, which is why boards are meant to be held as Scouts become ready rather than saved up for one evening.

Milestone

Usually comes after 8.0.1.5. Approved.

8.0.1.5. The unit leader is told the decision

After any board of review, whichever way it went.

Task

Usually comes after 8.0.1.5. Approved and 8.0.1.5. Not approved.

8.0.2.0. Report the rank to the council

Through Scoutbook Plus or on the official Advancement Report form. The chair reports the result to the unit advancement coordinator, who submits it.

Task

8.0.3.0. Eagle: wait for the Scout executive's signature and the certificate May not apply

The medal or patch must not be sold or provided, and the court of honour must not be scheduled, until the Scout executive has signed the application certifying proper procedure, the rank is in the system and filed locally, and the certificate has reached the council service centre.

Document

You have not answered "Which rank is this board of review for?" yet.

8.0.2.0. The rank is presented

Ranks must not be presented until the advancement has been submitted to the local council.

Milestone

Usually comes after 8.0.3.0. Eagle: wait for the Scout executive's signature and the certificate.