The father of a Boy Scout is suing the Boy Scouts of America, alleging that the organization blocked his son, who has Down syndrome, from becoming an Eagle scout and revoking his merit badges.
Chad Blythe relates that his son, Logan, has been a scout through the National Parks Council in Utah. The fifteen-year-old has advanced through the scouts because the parks council has made adjustments for him when needed, the New York Post reports. The merit badges were earned through good deeds and hard work, Blythe said, which included cooking, swimming, and working with horses.
Logan had intended to create Boy Scout kits for special-needs infants as an Eagle project when the family found out that the Boy Scouts of America rendered all of Logan’s merit badges void. The family has sued the organization and the Utah National Parks Council for “outrageous and reckless conduct.”
Blythe told Metro US,
In order to achieve eagle scout rank, you have to do a community service project. In this case, we were going to do some kits for some newborns for people who have special needs at the local hospital. We went through, got that approved, even got some pictures with the council members that approved it.
He added, “I am enraged, very upset. My son is hurt. Again we were expecting this to be a non-issue, to be able to go ahead and thrilled to have our down syndrome son to be an Eagle Scout. We were going to be elated, an thrilled to have it. For (the national council), and strip him of all the rank, it just blows a gasket, to say the least. He enjoyed participating with the local troupe and the boys. It was an opportunity for him to expand and grow and he did that.”
For its part, the Boy Scouts said that it working with the council and the Blythe family to come up with “alternative merit badges” so that Logan can continue his path towards becoming an Eagle.
