On Feb 1, 2021, we will remove any remaining unregistered Merit Badge Counselors (MBC) from Scoutbook, delete MBC connections with any Scouts they are counseling, and remove the ability of units to change which Merit Badges are approved for MBCs. At that point the only remaining MBC positions will have come in via ScoutNET (council registration,) and their approved merit badge listing will also come in via ScoutNET or a council upload. Merit Badges and requirements previously approved by removed MBCs will remain.
By BSA policy, people serving as merit badge counselors must maintain registration with the Boy Scouts of America as merit badge counselors and be approved by their local council advancement committee for each of their badges.
NOTE: This change should not affect any council who has previously uploaded their MBC list to Scoutbook. (Unit leaders: At the bottom of the unit page in Scoutbook your council should appear. If your council uploaded the list, that should appear below the council name.)
For councils who have not uploaded the MBC/MB list to Scoutbook:
Anyone with a MBC position on a troop roster in Scoutbook, will have their MBC position ended on the Scoutbook troop roster. If they are registered, they will appear in the MBC search and the individual MBC can see their position in their My Positions page.
Individual merit badge counselors should be fine if they are registered with their council as a merit badge counselor and council approved for any badge they counsel. Individual members can check to see if they are showing in Scoutbook as registered by logging into Scoutbook, clicking on My Dashboard, Administration, My Account, My Positions. If your Merit Badge Counselor position there shows up as approved by your council and blue check marks next to your approved merit badges, you should be good. If the approved by your council is not there and the check marks are green, you should contact your council and register as a merit badge counselor.
Information for units on how to find merit badge counselors in Scoutbook is at this link. Units can find out if a particular merit badge counselor is registered with badges approved by their council by using the MB Counselor List search page (located on the Troop, Crew, Ship page in Scoutbook.) If the MBC shows approved by council they are registered, if it shows a blue checkmark next to the badge, that means the council has approved that badge for counseling by the MBC. A green checkmark means it is not approved by the council and will be removed on Feb 1st.
This will not affect merit badge counselors whose registration expired on 12/31/2020 and are waiting for council rechartering.
Follow this link for more information.
If you have questions, you can ask them at this link.
