CANTON, Mass. — A short, but disturbing cell phone video of the boy’s bathroom at a YMCA summer day camp had some parents pulling their children from the camp and contacting local health officials, FOX25 Investigates has learned.
Parents say the video was recorded by a counselor at “Camp Ponkapoag,” operated by the YMCA of Greater Boston. The images were so disturbing, FOX25 decided to blur the video.
The YMCA said the camp immediately placed the bathroom “out of order” and padlocked the doors after discovering what it called a “plumbing problem” on Wednesday. However, some parents say their kids and the counselors who were caring for them dispute that timeline.
“That definitely doesn't look like just one day. And the kids are even saying it's been like that for a long time,” mother Nicole Roach told FOX25’s Eric Rasmussen.
The Canton Board of Health confirms it sent someone to inspect the bathroom on Thursday and observed a plumber arriving to make repairs. Director of Public Health John Ciccotelli told FOX25 he also returned to the camp to confirm the bathroom was “completely clean” on Friday afternoon.
Parents say managers of the camp initially dismissed the concerns as an exaggeration.
“I can understand if they said that about the kids exaggerating, but these are counselors. These are grown adult counselors,” said Roach. “They can't make this up and neither can the pictures or the videos.”
Roach and another parent told FOX25 they worry the conditions made their kids sick, but the Board of Health could not confirm that’s what happened.
No one with the YMCA or Camp Ponkapoag would speak with FOX25 on camera, but a communications firm later emailed a statement on behalf of James Morton, CEO & President of the YMCA of Greater Boston:
“On Wednesday afternoon at the Ponkapoag Camp in Canton, we experienced a plumbing problem in the boys’ restroom. We immediately deemed the facilities out of order and padlocked the doors until a plumber and cleaning crew could arrive onsite to fix the situation. During the time of closure, the camp had four bathrooms available to accommodate campers’ needs, and it did not interfere with the quality of programming and services offered at the camp. As of today (Friday), the facilities are reopened and the YMCA was commended by the Canton Public Health Department for its swift action and appropriate management of the situation. The health and well-being of the children in our care is the Y’s number one priority. We are grateful to our staff for their prompt attention and care to this matter.”
Parents told FOX25 they still don’t think camp managers did enough to alert them about the problem in the first place.
“Why did nobody tell me?” asked Roach. “Nobody sent out an email or a letter. Nothing.”