Pittsburgh, PA — As you know, the national organization of the Scouting America filed for bankruptcy earlier this year to equitably compensate victims of past abuse and ensure that Scouting’s mission continues.
The bankruptcy case recently reached a milestone when a bar date was set for November 16, 2020 ¬– the deadline for submitting claims in the case. This milestone triggers a mail and email notification to individuals and groups (Scouts, parents of Scouts, alumni, and volunteers) who have been part of the BSA within the last eight years and means you may soon receive a notice. This notification process is part of an effort to ensure that the BSA reaches as many potential claimants, survivors of abuse, as possible so they may file a claim.
In addition to these email and mail notifications, which will reach more than 10 million individuals, the BSA will run targeted advertising this fall as a required part of the bankruptcy noticing process.
To be clear, receiving a notice does not mean that you have a claim or that your child was harmed while in Scouting. The BSA is just being as thorough as possible. The BSA encourages all survivors of abuse to file a claim by November 16, 2020. More information about how to file a claim is available at www.BSArestructuring.org.
Although the national organization is navigating through bankruptcy, the Laurel Highlands Council’s local programming is continuing – subject to current COVID-19 policies.
Please know that in Scouting nothing is more important than the safety and protection of children in our programs; It is our top priority. The BSA has developed and implemented some of the strongest expert-informed youth protection policies found in any youth-serving organization. I can also assure you that our volunteers and employees take youth protection extremely seriously and do their part to help keep kids safe. To learn more about how the BSA keeps kids in Scouting safe today, I encourage you to visit www.scouting.org/youth-safety.
At Laurel Highlands Council, we remain as committed as ever to delivering Scouting’s unparalleled experiences to young people throughout our communities. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time at 412-325-7901 or Sharon.moulds@scouting.org.
Yours in Scouting,
Sharon M. Moulds
Scout Executive, CEO
