Conservative day school cancels Boy Scout troops over exclusion of gay leaders

JTA — A Conservative Jewish day school will not renew its Boy Scouts charter because of the organization’s policy excluding gay and lesbian adults as leaders.

The Golda Och Academy in West Orange, NJ, said in a letter to parents last week that the Scouts’ policy presents a “problematic image for many families.

“To exclude same-sex families from membership and adult volunteerism is in direct contradiction of school policies, which place high value on inclusion,” reads the Oct. 17 letter signed by head of school Joyce Raynor, the New Jersey Jewish News reported.

The Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed its ban on gays and lesbians over the summer.

There are several same-sex families at Golda Och, according to Raynor.

The day school’s scouts are now in search of another location in which to meet. Thirty of the school’s families have children in Boy Scout Troop 118, which started in 1995, and Cub Scout Pack 118 for younger boys.

Since 2001, the Reform movement has recommended that member congregations withdraw sponsorship of packs and troops over the issue, according to the Jewish News.