We, the undersigned Scouts, Scouters, Eagle Scouts, parents, alumni, and supporters, call on Scouting America to take the following actions to defend its institutional independence:

1. Restore the Citizenship in Society merit badge, at minimum as an elective and, ideally, as an Eagle-required badge.
2. Restore public access to the November 1, 2021 English- and Spanish-language news releases announcing the badge.
3. Pursue all warranted legal remedies to protect Scouting America’s autonomy from government coercion.

1. Why the Citizenship in Society Merit Badge Should Be Restored

Scouting America created this merit badge because it identified an educational need that existing badges did not adequately address.

Scouting America explained that purpose in its November 1, 2021 news release: 

“The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law,” said Roger Mosby, president and chief executive officer of The Boy Scouts of America. “This merit badge aligns with both the Scout Oath and Scout Law, which encourage Scouts to respect the beliefs of others, to be kind and courteous, and to help other people at all times.” [1] [emphasis added]

Rather than absorbing slogans or caricatures about these concepts, Scouts who complete the badge are asked to learn what the terms actually mean and to discuss them thoughtfully.

The badge asks Scouts to learn and discuss concepts such as diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion in concrete, age-appropriate ways. These are not partisan slogans; they are ideas that help Scouts understand fairness, dignity, and belonging in a pluralistic society.

If Scouting America now believes these subjects are unsuitable for Scouts, it should say so plainly and explain why. Scouting America should explain why it is retreating from its own stated educational goals.

The badge also asks Scouts to think in advance about how to respond when they witness cruelty, mockery, exclusion, or bullying.

That matters because Scouts will encounter these situations in their own lives.

Scouts do not need less preparation for encountering prejudice, cruelty, exclusion, and demeaning rhetoric; they need more. The Citizenship in Society merit badge gives them a structured way to think about those moments before they face them directly. That is exactly the kind of character formation Scouting should defend, not abandon.

As Baden-Powell wrote, ‘There is no teaching to compare with example.’ [2] Restoring this badge would show that Scouting America still means what it says about character, kindness, and respect for others.

2. Restore Public Access to the 2021 News Releases

After Scouting America announced the badge’s removal, many members naturally sought to review the organization’s original rationale for adopting it.

The 2021 News Releases page still contains multiple entries, but the November 1, 2021 English- and Spanish-language releases announcing the badge no longer appear there.

Those releases remain available through the Internet Archive, creating the appearance that they were later removed from Scouting America’s public archive. If that removal was intentional, the Board should explain why. Either way, removing those contemporaneous statements undermines trust, creates the appearance of retroactive revision, and deprives members of access to the organization’s own stated reasoning.

A private organization should not revise, conceal, or selectively curate its own public record in response to political pressure.

If the removal of the news releases was deliberate, Scouting America has allowed outside pressure to determine what parts of its own recent history remain visible.

If it was not deliberate, Scouting America should restore those releases immediately and explain how they disappeared.

The badge and the news releases are part of Scouting America’s own institutional history. They reflect judgments the organization itself made about the character formation of young people, and they should not be erased or hidden under outside pressure.

3. Protect Scouting America’s Independence Through Legal Action

The Scout Law does not call for passive surrender to political coercion; it calls for bravery, integrity, and fidelity to principle.

Scouting America should recognize coercion for what it is and answer it with bravery and principle.

Scouting America’s own February 27, 2026 statement confirms that this was not merely a voluntary policy choice: the organization said it made ‘programmatic updates to comply with Executive Order 14173.’ [3]

Secretary Hegseth’s February 27, 2026 statement then made clear that Scouting America would be reviewed again in six months and could face additional conditions or termination of the partnership. It also pointed toward a narrower and more exclusionary vision of Scouting’s future.

Taken together, these statements describe not an ordinary partnership, but a relationship in which Scouting America changed its programs under government pressure and remains vulnerable to further demands. That is the language of coercion, not partnership.

If Scouting America accepts government-directed program changes now, it should expect further demands regarding membership, program content, and institutional governance.

The time to pursue legal remedies is now, before further concessions become normalized.

Scouting America should promptly seek injunctive relief to prevent government officials from coercing changes to its programs and public record.

Scouting America should show that its principles are not negotiable under political pressure.

Failure to defend the organization now will invite further pressure and signal that Scouting America’s principles and programs can be bent by intimidation.

We urge the National Executive Board to act promptly and publicly.

Endnotes:

[1] “The Boy Scouts of America Introduces New Citizenship in Society Merit Badge”, https://web.archive.org/web/20220123082716/https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/the-boy-scouts-of-america-introduces-new-citizenship-in-society-merit-badge/ , Retrieved 2026-03-10

[2] “Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell”, https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/quotes.pdf , Retrieved 2026-03-10.

[3] “Scouting America Statement Concerning Department of War Announcement.”, https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/scouting-america-statement-concerning-department-of-war-announcement/ , Retrieved 2026-03-11