Boy Scouts: Teen With Down Syndrome Wasn't Stripped Of Badges

PAYSON, UT — The Boy Scouts of America is disputing claims that Logan Blythe, a 15-year-old Payson boy with Down syndrome and autism, had his merit badges stripped. Blythe's family is suing the national organization and a local chapter for intentional infliction of emotional distress after they say the teen had his badges revoked and his Eagle Scout project disqualified, even after the local chapter approved it.

But the national organization says that's not what happened.

The Boy Scouts said in a statement it wanted to clear up what it called "misconceptions" about how a Boy Scout with Down syndrome can attain the elite Eagle Scout rank.

"We apologize for the confusion and want to be very clear: the option to earn the rank of Eagle Scout has been – and still is – available to Logan," the group said. "We remain inspired by his dedication to Scouting, and we hope to continue working with Logan and his family to support him in the effort to earn the rank of Eagle Scout through the engagement of our National Disabilities Advancement Team."

The national group also said that Logan's badges weren't, in fact, revoked, and he was not demoted from a Boy Scout to a Cub Scout. The group's disabilities advancement team hopes to work directly with the Blythes to go over what Logan has "accomplished based on his abilities" and help figure out a path for him to "earn the Eagle Scout rank that is both appropriate and empowering for their situation."

The family says that in November, the Utah National Parks Council, or UNPC, signed off on Logan's Eagle Scout project. The boy had been a Boy Scout for three years through the local chapter. Logan's father, Chad Blythe, tells Patch his son enjoyed being a Boy Scout.

"He likes being with the boys. He likes being around them. He likes participating with them, doing fun things with them," Chad Blythe says.

He adds: "The boys have always been great to him. They've always treated him well, which really helps out, and they've really tried to include him. He feels that and he can sense that they're going out of their way to be something for him."

The family originally got Logan involved with the Boy Scouts at age 9. The family was part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he says the church's youth activities were "all Boy Scouts."

Family's attorney Ted McBride says the church even pays all of the membership fees.

Along the way, Logan earned more than 20 merit badges with the help of the local chapter, which the Blythes say agreed to waive certain requirements the teen couldn't complete due to his disability. In one instance, Chad Blythe says Logan — who won a gold medal for swimming in the Special Olympics in Utah —didn't technically satisfy all the Boy Scouts' swimming merit badge because he could only meet some of the myriad requirements.

"Of those 120-odd merit badges, there is something in just about all of them that, because of my son's disability, he's unable to do," Chad Blythe says. "It's not a question of replacing a difficult merit badge with an easy merit badge, they're all pretty much merit badges that he can't really accomplish."

So, Blythe says, local leadership said don't sweat it and gave him the badge anyway.

When the Blythe's proposed a project that would allow him to become an Eagle Scout, the local chapter, once again, approved.

The next day, the Blythes got an email. It was from a member of the district advancement committee.

"I have been asked to suspend Logan's Eagle Project approval. Please do not do any more work on his project."

The email said the national organization told the panel that for Eagle Ranks, "there are no alternates."

"The Young (sic) man MUST do the requirements as written, including leadership responsibilities."

It added the project should never have been approved.

In their lawsuit, the Blythes say they were informed that in the eyes of the Boy Scouts, he had not achieved any of the merit badges he had worked for. During a meeting with the local group weeks later, they were told Logan could not meet the requirements of an Eagle Scout as written and that accommodations could not be made for him.

The lawsuit, filed last week, states that the UNCP, a charted partner of the BSA, knew that the national organization's policies "would not allow Logan to be accommodated" and that it also knew the national group would "override their accommodation."

"At the time the Eagle Scout project was approved, the UNCP knew of the policy preventing children with disabilities from meeting the requirements for obtaining an Eagle Scout, or any other ranking within the BSA.

The suit, filed last week, names both the local and national organizations as defendants — as well as numerous individuals. It seeks at least $1 and for Logan to be reinstated into the Boy Scouts.

McBride says in a statement to Patch that the national organization's contention that it will try to accomodate the boy contradicts both its policies and actions.

"Look at their website," he said. "No accommodations for mental disabilities for those badges. If they are now going to change their policies, that's terrific. But no one has contacted me about this."

He adds: "It appears that they are more interested in spinning some positive press. If they were sincere, I would have expected them to call me and change their policy."

McBride says the teen deserves an apology, rather than a "generic statement to the public which fails to state that they have no alternatives for him.”

Photo credit: Ted McBride