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8 year old walks off camp grounds alone



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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:40 pm
A friend of mine told me that she's friend's with a woman whose 8 yr old son walked off of camp grounds a few days ago. The mom is bent out of shape and furious that the camp was so irresponsible and would allow such a potentially dangerous thing to happen. When I heard the story I was also outraged. After thinking about it though, I've changed my mind. Do we have a right to expect that the counselors have their eye on each kid every moment of the day? Do we escort these kids do the bathroom? When we were kids and in school can any of us honestly say that it would've been difficult to walk away during outdoor recess and wander off? Thought?
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sourstix




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:42 pm
We don't know the specifics so can't comment. I wonder though if there is something more serious here. I guess I will never know.
Being outraged at the camp is normal. She has to sit down with him and ask him why he did I it in a non accusatory tone. So she can find out if this was a mistake or something more serious. The camp has to have security. But there is so much they can do. Again we don't know what the specifics are. And he is young. So they need a lot of supervision. The question is what the motive was.


Last edited by sourstix on Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:45 pm
This is why I am nervous when I send my kids to day camp , and even to school. (Although bh the school got a full time security guard at the door, so not nervous anymore.)

As for the mom being mad at the camp, it depends. If the camp noticed within 10-15 minutes, they are not necessarily at fault. If it took them longer, they are.
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LiLIsraeli




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:45 pm
There should be enough supervision that a child would not be able to leave the premises without someone knowing about it.
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:46 pm
Doors should be locked. And gates around the buildings should be closed.
Children should be buzzed in and out (only to their parent).

That is how it should be. Even with that some kids will figure out how to go out - climb a fence or sneak off when walking back from the pool, or some other Houdini trick.

At 8 a child should know what is allowed and not = at that age he carries the responsibility for what he did.

My son recently went to the nurse. he then spent an hour wondering around on his way back - and lost out on something - he is 10 he should know better. I didn't expect someone to escort him to the nurse, wait there and then escort him back. For that you would need multiple counselors.


Last edited by sky on Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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nursemomma




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:46 pm
No, the parents should be outraged. While it is unreasonable to expect the counsellors to have an eye on the kids 24/7, the camp needs to have a security system in place. For ex, either a locked gate at all times, or a security guard at all entrances/exits. There should not be anyone entering or exiting grounds unaccounted for. That is completely unacceptable and unsafe- especially when you're talking about a camp full of young, vulnerable children!
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amother
Brunette


 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 12:58 pm
I would be outraged, but the mom needs to understand that if her dc has a hard time following rules in general the camp MUST be informed before camp starts so that they can prevent such a thing from ever happening.

My DC has dehydrated in day camp. I had discussions with my DC and the staff about drinking. Yesterday, once again, DC didnt drink in camp all day and had severe cramps. According to my DC she threw out lunch drink and spilled out the cups of water camp gave out. My DC is 5, but I have warned her that she may have to stay at home if she refuses to drink. Camp can offer drinks, but cant force her to drink.
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 1:01 pm
nursemomma wrote:
No, the parents should be outraged. While it is unreasonable to expect the counsellors to have an eye on the kids 24/7, the camp needs to have a security system in place. For ex, either a locked gate at all times, or a security guard at all entrances/exits. There should not be anyone entering or exiting grounds unaccounted for. That is completely unacceptable and unsafe- especially when you're talking about a camp full of young, vulnerable children!


I hear you. Just wondering if when you were in school would you have been able to leave the school grounds if you wanted to or did the school take measures to make that impossible? I can certainly say that in my school I could've left the school grounds pretty easily.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 1:38 pm
I think at age 8 it's a two-way street (I have an 8 year old DD BTW). I expect the camp to supervise her and be accountable for her (go looking for her if she's gone more than a few minutes to the bathroom, etc...). I also talk to her about safety. She knows better than to walk of camp grounds by herself.

BTW, I have seen camps that mention in the camp letter that a non-compliant child will be kicked out of camp with no refund. Campers have to know the rules and follow them. An 8 year old should understand that walking out of camp is a no-no. I don't know the details but it sounds like the parent should be finding out just why the kid did this, and whether there are some assessments on behavior/maturity/perception that are needed here. On the surface of things, this child does not sound up to par.
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cnc




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 1:38 pm
amother wrote:
I hear you. Just wondering if when you were in school would you have been able to leave the school grounds if you wanted to or did the school take measures to make that impossible? I can certainly say that in my school I could've left the school grounds pretty easily.


I wouldn't have been able to leave.
There was a full time security guard who did not allow students to leave without a permission slip from the office.
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cbg




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 5:31 pm
It's one thing for the child to roam around campus.
It's another that he can leave camp grounds.
Why is there no security to stop that from happening?
If the kid got out then anyone can get in.
As far as the kid wondering around, if you let a kid go to the bathroom/etc. and he's not back in a reasonable amount of time, you call the office and have someone look for him, duh!!!
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 5:46 pm
cbg wrote:
It's one thing for the child to roam around campus.
It's another that he can leave camp grounds.
Why is there no security to stop that from happening?
If the kid got out then anyone can get in.
As far as the kid wondering around, if you let a kid go to the bathroom/etc. and he's not back in a reasonable amount of time, you call the office and have someone look for him, duh!!!



I think many of the schools that have security use it to ensure that bad people from the neighborhood don't cause trouble. I don't think schools have security to ensure that kids won't escape. It's not a jail and there's no barbed wire. In preschool the morahs are on the lookout for kids wandering off when playing outside. The question is do schools have the right to expect that kids won't just pick up and leave during the day or must they have security in place ensuring this doesn't happen. To me if an 8 year old kid doesn't know that walking away is completely unacceptable then that child needs a full time shadow or doesn't belong in a regular school.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 6:14 pm
Is this a day camp or a sleep away camp? Is it in the woods, or in the city?

If it's in the woods, you can't just fence off 50 acres of land so easily. If it's in the city, that would be easier to control. Still, when I was in school, all the campuses were "open", meaning that they were not fenced and locked during school hours. We knew that we were not to leave the grounds, and so we didn't.

IMHO, 8 is way too old to be wandering off without having a reason for it. I'd be more worried about the kid's motivation than I would be about camp security. If the boy is impulsive, he may be too immature for camp, and should stay home.
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tryinghard




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 9:26 pm
amother wrote:
I hear you. Just wondering if when you were in school would you have been able to leave the school grounds if you wanted to or did the school take measures to make that impossible? I can certainly say that in my school I could've left the school grounds pretty easily.


When my sister was in 2nd grade (I think), my parents got a call from the school that she was missing. It turned out she had left during recess (on a dare), walked home, and hid in her closet. The unbelievable part of the story was when the school had the chutzpa to try yelling at my parents for their daughter's behavior. My father quickly made it clear that they were in no position to be saying anything other than "I'm sorry, we were negligent".

When you entrust others with your child's safety, they are responsible. An 8 year old is not a 12 year old. There should be enough supervision of 8 year olds to know where they all are at all times.
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sourstix




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jul 21 2016, 9:37 pm
I do think there should be suprevision. but you cant supervise 24/7. how many people need to be hired for this? common. we all know its impossible. we still dont have enough details to understand where and why it happened. something about this makes me think it was in the catskills mountains. and there the grounds are so big its tricky to fence it all off. they warn and tell the kids where they are allowed to go. there is strict and clear rules to follow. its not a free for all. I do think its possible this kid either did it for the fun to create some excitement or there is something wrong with this child. in the latter this kid needs help
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