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Circuit Court Drops Scouting Program
What began three years ago as part of a highly-publicized program to help troubled boys has been quietly dropped by the 19th Judicial
Circuit Court.
The charter of Boy Scout Troop 19, based at the Depke Juvenile Justice
Complex in Vernon Hills, was allowed to expire March 1 in response to concerns by
the American Civil Liberties Union.
"We decided it probably would be best served not to continue," said Bob Zastany, executive director of the court's administrative office. "We thought we were doing some good things out there."
The ACLU and others, most notably Buffalo Grove resident and well-known atheist Rob Sherman, generally have questioned the use of public funds to operate what he once described as a "discriminatory private
club."
Sherman was unable to be reached Friday for comment regarding Troop 19. Ed Yohnka, director of communications for the ACLU of Illinois, said this wasn't a new issue for the group. He said the court did
the right thing.
"We've expressed concerns to a number of government agencies, including this particular court about their serving as a sponsor of an organization that has a
discriminatory policy," he said.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2000 ruled that as a private organization, the Boy Scouts can restrict its membership and leaders. The decision originated with a lawsuit by a gay
Scout leader who was dismissed from a New Jersey troop.
Established in February 2000, Troop 19 was touted as the first formed with boys sentenced to probation. The 19th Judicial Circuit Court was the chartering
agency for the troop operated by the juvenile probation and detention services division.
Participants were boys aged 14 to 16 in the in-house treatment program at Depke, known as FACE-IT, or Family and Community
Engaged in Treatment. That program is limited to 12 boys and is not associated with the detention center's general population.
The Boy Scout connection, the 19th Circuit said in 2000, would help instill "the
exemplary values of character, citizenship and fitness" and build the teens' self-esteem.
On Thursday nights, the troop would meet for about 90 minutes to learn skills such as first aid. On weekends, the troop
would go on nature hikes or other activities. Participants who were interested in continuing in the Scouts after their stay were given referrals, although Zastany was unsure if or how many pursued Scouting after they left the center.
"You plant enough seeds and you get a tree here and a tree there and sometimes you get some fruit," he said.
Sherman took his case to the Lake County Board last year, saying the use
of public funds to operate the troop violated federal civil rights laws. The county funds FACE-IT, which distributed money to the troop. He also objected to judges and other judicial system employees working with a group that has
discriminatory rules.
Zastany said he and his staff closely studied the matter before recommending to Chief Judge Margaret J. Mullen the charter be allowed to lapse. Mullen could not be reached Friday for comment.
"It was just a prudent decision on our part to let it lapse and regroup,"
Zastany said. "We're going to create programming and opportunities for these kids that will be even
better."
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/top/w08scoutout.htm
The 19th Judicial Circuit Court has discontinued its Boy Scout
troop following concerns raised over the use of public funding to support the program.
Last March, atheist Rob Sherman, speaking before the Lake County Board, questioned the use of public funding to support the
troop, noting the Boy Scouts discriminate against gays and have required participants to sign cards acknowledging that they believe in God.
More recently, the American Civil Liberties Union had called Lake
County Circuit Court administrative officials with similar concerns.
"We're not going to have a Boy Scout troop. It's over," said Robert Zastany, executive director of court administration. "The
membership charter has lapsed."
Zastany said the decision not to renew the court's affiliation with the Boy Scouts came after a staff study in which consensus was
reached "to take a different direction."
Zastany said the decision was not the result of Rob Sherman's complaints, but he acknowledged that the call from the ACLU as a factor.
Zastany said the court enjoyed working with the Boy Scouts and that he believes the troop was a positive influence on the troubled youth participating in the court's Face-It (Family and Community
Engaged in Treatment) program. Those in the program are incarcerated in the Depke Juvenile Justice Center in Vernon Hills.
Boy Scout Troop 19 was formed by the Face-It program in 2000.
Zastany noted that participation in the troop was voluntary and parents were involved in the decision.
Following Sherman's comments, some officials, including former
Circuit Court Judge Barbara Gilleran Johnson, had defended the troop, saying that it was a positive influence on youth exposed to gangs and drugs. Johnson, now an appellate judge, and others had
suggested that private funding for the troop could be a possibility.
The loss of the troop does not spell the end of the Face-It program. Zastany said the program still includes outdoor activities and other programs.
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