Scouts open door to girl members

The Boy Scouts of America program opened up its program to girls Feb. 1.

Now Scouts BSA, the youth program is open to all eligible youth - boys and girls - ages 11-17, but troops will be either all girls or all boys, according the national website. The website says, “This unique approach allows the organization to maintain the integrity of the single-gender model while also meeting the needs of today’s families.”

Some girls in Tea have decided to join the Scouts and start their own troop.

Katelyn Spracklin, a 13-year-old from Tea, who is also a member of Girl Scouts, said she has been interested in Scouts BSA since she was a little girl tagging along to meetings with her brother.

“I thought it was really fun and I always wanted to go camping with them but I couldn’t. That’s why I want to join,” Spracklin said.

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