The Boy Scouts of America say they did not revoke the badges earned by a Utah teen who has Down syndrome.
Earlier this week, Yahoo News reported the parents of Logan Blythe, 15, of Utah, announced a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts, saying the organization discriminated against their son by suspending his Eagle Scout project and revoking his badges.
But the Boy Scouts said there have been misconceptions about the incident, and Logan still may earn the rank of Eagle Scout, Patch reports. The organization also said it did not revoke Logan’s badges or demote him.
“We apologize for the confusion and want to be very clear: the option to earn the rank of Eagle Scout has been – and still is – available to Logan,” the group said. “We remain inspired by his dedication to Scouting, and we hope to continue working with Logan and his family to support him in the effort to earn the rank of Eagle Scout through the engagement of our National Disabilities Advancement Team.”
Here’s more from Townhall:
The Associated Press reports that Debby Roberts, a Boy Scouts of America official, apologized in an email to the family.
“I sincerely apologize and regret any false hope we have given,” she wrote. “I hope that you will consider keeping Logan registered beyond his 18th birthday, in hopes that someday perhaps he can communicate with others through future technology or what have you.”
“The project was declined, but that doesn’t mean his path was declined,” the group’s spokesman, Effie Delimarkos, said. “We do support scouts with special needs and disabilities and have for a very long time.”
The Blythe family denies that they have been contacted by the Boy Scouts of America about the issue.
Logan’s family said his service project was to create kits to give to special needs babies and their families at hospitals in his area.
Fox 13 News reports Logan’s father, Chad Blythe, was not pleased by the organization’s comments. He said the Boy Scouts have not given them concrete solutions that would allow Logan to achieve that rank.
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“To suddenly say he still has an avenue, really? What avenue is that? Park Avenue? Should I be yelling Monopoly right now?” he said.
A scout for more than three years, 15-year-old Logan recently began working on his Eagle Scout service project.
However, Blythe’s father, Chad, told Yahoo News they were informed a day later that Logan’s project had been suspended. He said the national scout leaders claimed Logan had not fulfilled his badge requirements because of the special accommodations made for his disabilities.
“For example, if a task is cooking and the instructions are to pour a cup of flour, Logan won’t stop pouring,” Chad Blythe said. “In situations like that, the local chapter has awarded him a badge regardless, for his effort.”
The Blythes said they checked regularly with the local scout leaders about the accommodations and never hid how Logan completed the tasks.
