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To our Scouting families, Executive Board, volunteer and professional staffs:

Youth Protection logo Today, a jury in Travis County Civil Court found our council comparatively responsible for the abuse of three former Scouts by former Austin attorney and Scouting volunteer, Martin E. Turner. Specifically, the jury decided our council was 5% responsible of a $1.5 million dollar verdict.

We offer our most profound sympathies and prayers to these former Scouts. The Scouting promise was broken for these three young men.

In 2008, Mr. Turner admitted sexually molesting boys left in his care. Mr. Turner pleaded guilty and he was sentenced to five years in prison.

Scouting has improved its Youth Protection policies and procedures over the more than 30 years since Mr. Turner first registered as a Scouting volunteer, in step with and often ahead of society's thinking on the subject. Today, the Boy Scouts of America's policies are considered by many experts to be among the best if not the best of all youth-serving organizations in our country.

Despite these facts, one case of abuse is too many - whether 30 years ago or today. It is critical that all of our Scouting families, volunteer leaders, chartering organizations and professional staff strictly adhere to Scouting's policies:
  • "Two-deep leadership" is required for all Scout activities. This means at least one registered adult leader and one other adult must be present. A Scout unit's chartering organization is responsible for ensuring that sufficient leadership is provided for all Scouting activities.
  • One-on-one contact between adults and Scouts is prohibited. In situations that require personal conferences, such as a Scoutmaster's conference, the meeting is to be conducted in view of other adults and youth.
  • Any allegation of abuse is reported to law enforcement.
Everyone shares responsibility for the protection of our Scouts. Any registered volunteer not current in Scouting's Youth Protection Training will have their membership revoked until such time that they can show proof of completion of this important training. With the help of our council's new Youth Protection Chairman and partnerships with child protection agencies, we will continue to look for any and all opportunities to improve our Youth Protection practices.

Yours in Scouting,
Jon C. Yates
Scout Executive 

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