Girl scout troop placement

[Lizabethian]

We moved to Georgia back in April and since Kid 1 was turning 6 in May I got on the ball and contacted a girl scout leader. It took some figuring out but they eventually got me in contact with the leader(s) that presides over my area. I have been telling them since May that we homeschool.

 

So last night was the parent meeting. I paid all my dues and got all the paperwork filled out and listened to what they had to say. Apparently meetings are from 2:30-3:30 in the afternoon and the leaders pick the girls up individually from their classrooms at the local school. I asked how this would work for drop offs for us and they all just stared at me blankly and then told me they'd have to ask the principal.

 

I just got a voicemail saying that Kid 1 can't be placed in this troop because the arrangment between troops and the school don't allow for non-attending students to be there for on campus meetings (which all of them are from the sounds of it). I have a feeling we are going to be told we have to do the solitary route (which is very much not what Kid 1 wants).

 

We have to report to our local district in order to homeschool here. I was just talkingto my sister about it and she thought that in cases like that you were allowed to be part of groups that used campus things. Is that true? My google skills are lacking today and I'm not finding anything.

 

Any links or info would be awesome. I need to call the troop leader back and figure things out so having something would rock.

[littlebug42]

 

We have to report to our local district in order to homeschool here. I was just talkingto my sister about it and she thought that in cases like that you were allowed to be part of groups that used campus things. Is that true? My google skills are lacking today and I'm not finding anything.

 

Any links or info would be awesome. I need to call the troop leader back and figure things out so having something would rock.

 

 

I think it depends on your state law. In Ohio, participation by non-students is left up to each district and I know our district and most around here do not allow homeschoolers to participate in anything. Our GS meetings are not held in a school but we are obliged to follow the rules of where we are meeting (air force base property). Are there no other troops in your area?

[oldskool]

Have you thought about starting your own troop? There may be other girls in the same situation.

 

Lesley

[Little Nyssa]

I think I would confirm with the school district that this is so, before I look elsewhere.

[Lizabethian]

There aren't any other troops we can join. Apparently they abide by school district boundaries pretty strictly. There is a homeschooling troop about 25 min. from me. I've considered starting my own troop but my sister did it a year or so agoand man that is daunting. I might have to though.

[2_girls_mommy]

There are no troops that don't meet at schools? Really? Have you confirmed that with your local council?

 

Around here there are tons of troops. Most meet in schools or in churches. I would never consider one at a school because they are run by teachers and it is too much like P.S. (they don't want the parents involved, etc.)

 

I would first find out if there was a troop close to you at a church or someone's home. Or I would drive to the hs troop. It will be well worth your time. I make a drive for ours and help lead now. We even tried another troop for a few meetings at a church, but found our hs troop to be such a better fit of like minded families. But my dds have made life long friends and the girls are awesome. And as hsers we have so many opportunities. We take them on field trips during the day. We get to be the troop called on by the council when they need girl scouts during the day (we were on T.V. twice last year advertising cookie sales, because it was for newspots during the day--- the kids loved that!)

 

ETA>>> it is super easy to transfer your membership to another troop. I just did it after trying out that other troop.

Edited September 22, 2011 by 2_girls_mommy

[angela in ohio]

It would depend on what state you are in. In MI, we have access to gym, art, music, etc., but that wouldn't cover GS. It would be up to the school.

 

I think it probaly also depend on GS's guidelines. Do they allow troops to be only open to members of one school, or do they require that they are open to anyone? I would look at their site and make some calls to find that out.

 

Once you are armed with info, I would chat with the principal. Let them know that you are a homeschooler registered with their school, and not a student from another school (a fact that may not have been passed along.)

[Lizabethian]

I called the lady back and shocker! They had another troop for me. I asked why we weren't just placed with them to begin with (I've been talking to this one lady the whole time) and she said she doesn't know and that the new troop just popped up. Then she followed with "she's been doing this for 25 years so it should work well for you". I asked why we were told that there was only one troop we fit in and she went on a tangent about service units vs. troops and that I must not have understood that since we are new to the GS thing (not the case but oh well). I asked why GS, as a group, was allowed to meet there but that my one kiddo who is part of said group isn't. She gave me a bunch of random reasons (none of which are applicable to homeschooling) and made it clear that she'd rather just shuffle us to someone else. I think, in the end, she jsut didn't want the apparent hassle that we are. Who knows. On the plus side there is another homeshcooler contacting the leader we've been shifted to who has 2 little girls the same age range as Kid 1. Just based on the 15 min. phone call I had with her this is all actually a good thing. I have a feeling we would have come into lots of small "issues" over the next little bit.

[Lizabethian]

It would depend on what state you are in. In MI, we have access to gym, art, music, etc., but that wouldn't cover GS. It would be up to the school.

 

I think it probaly also depend on GS's guidelines. Do they allow troops to be only open to members of one school, or do they require that they are open to anyone? I would look at their site and make some calls to find that out.

 

Once you are armed with info, I would chat with the principal. Let them know that you are a homeschooler registered with their school, and not a student from another school (a fact that may not have been passed along.)

 

I mentioned this and the lady sighed deeply and said she could pass that along but she didn't think it would matter and that really we shouldn't bother trying. I'm just thinking it was more work than she wanted. Though I'm not sure what that work would entail.

[angela in ohio]

I mentioned this and the lady sighed deeply and said she could pass that along but she didn't think it would matter and that really we shouldn't bother trying. I'm just thinking it was more work than she wanted. Though I'm not sure what that work would entail.

 

Yep, I kind of assumed she never really asked, or didn't bother giving all the details, because she didn't want to bother with a student who couldn't be picked up in the classroom the way they always do it. :glare: (And to be fair, she may have had a pushy homeschool mom in her group before and be trying to avoid homeschoolers. :D)

 

It sounds like things worked out better, but if that falls through, I wouldn't hesitate to go right around her and talk to the school directly.

[Ellie]

Once you are armed with info, I would chat with the principal. Let them know that you are a homeschooler registered with their school, and not a student from another school (a fact that may not have been passed along.)

But I don't think GA hsers register with a specific school.

 

Although I'd be careful whacking school officials with the homeschool bat, I would not be shy in using the word "discrimination."

[Boxing Hare]

I just wanted to say that I miss Georgia. Have fun there!