Parents More Cautious about Camp, by Meghan E. Irons, Boston Globe, April 14, 2011

Parents More Cautious about Camp

By Meghan E. Irons
Boston Globe
April 14, 2011

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/14/parents_cautious_about_summer_camp_as_cape_scandal_widens/

Lynn Ann Averill and her father picked up her son Max Gravallese, 5, from piano lessons. She is sending her 11-year-old son to camp.

The sexual-abuse scandal enveloping a Cape Cod religious camp is stirring unease among parents just as they finalize plans for their children's summer getaways and prompting camp officials across the region to reassure the public that their camps are safe.

"You just don't know who you are dropping your child off with," said Bob Alliegro, a Mashpee parent who said he and his wife had planned on sending their 7-year-old daughter to Camp Good News in Sandwich until it decided to close after controversy erupted there about two months ago. "You are hoping that they are safe, but you are never 100 percent sure."

Most parents interviewed this week, while troubled by the unfolding scandal, said they did not plan to alter their plans for overnight camp.

Joshua Cohen of Natick will send his 15-year- old twins to Grossman Camp, located in a pine-filled oasis on Hale Reservation in Westwood. He said their safety is always in the back of his mind, but he feels assured by camp staff and rules.

"Nothing is going to be absolutely safe," he said. "But if the right protocols are in place, then the risk is acceptable."

Camp officials, meanwhile, said they have been toughening their screening policies for staff members in recent years, partly in response to high-profile revelations about sexual abuse of children, including those involving Catholic priests. The state requires recreational camps to check employees' and volunteers' records for criminal, juvenile, and sex offenses. Local boards of health enforce those rules, state officials say.

Peg Smith — executive director of the American Camp Association, which accredits 2,400 US camps, including 137 in Massachusetts — said that while she has not seen reports of heightened concerns from parents, camp officials have been releasing information about hiring, training, and screening practices.

"What I am hearing is that they are all deeply troubled," Smith said of camp officials. "Everyone is making sure they are reviewing, assuring, and improving what they are doing. Safety is not a new issue for us."

Camp officials say they must follow strict regulations by the ACA or risk losing accreditation. They say they regularly train staff members on how to spot physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, along with other childhood issues such as bullying.

Philip Connor, executive director of Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA in Western Massachusetts, said that most of his patrons are returning campers and that most of his staff are former campers there. In the 30 years he has been at the camp, he said, there has never been a sexual-abuse allegation there.

"What happened [at Camp Good News] is not the sort of thing that any camp wants to happen," Connor said. "The YMCA in the state of Massachusetts and the YMCA in the country have really stepped up work on our hiring practices" and background checks, he added.

David Peterson, director of Cape Cod Sea Camps in Brewster, said that his staff undergoes training to spot signs of abuse and that workers address parents' questions as they arise.

"We are speaking with parents throughout the year," said Peterson. "Before they sign their child up, they are asking about supervision."

Camp Good News has been in the spotlight since US Senator Scott Brown revealed in February that he had been sexually assaulted at a religious camp on the Cape, though he has not identified it. Camp Good News has since said Brown attended the camp and apologized to him.

Last week, an employee, Charles Devita, killed himself after prosecutors confirmed they were investigating allegations that he sexually assaulted a camper in the 1980s. The camp said Friday it would not operate this summer, and new allegations surfaced this week of abuse over the past three decades.

While the reports have added to some parents' worries as they deal with children eager for a summer break, many more seemed unfazed by the scandal.

Lynn Ann Averill of Milton said she is confident about sending her 11-year-old son to Camp Burgess & Hayward on the Cape. He loves the experience, she said.

"I probably should be [worried], but I went to an overnight camp" as a youth, she said. "I've met all his counselors . . . and you can talk to them every day."

Colleen Connelly of Quincy said her 14-year-old daughter looks forward to sleep-away ballet camp in Maine every year, and she is not changing plans.

"My philosophy is that I like my kids to be a little older before they go," Connelly said. "I need to be comfortable with knowing who the adults are who are going to be supervising" the children.

Michelle Parks plans to send her 12-year-old daughter, Caitlin, to a Christian camp in Michigan for the second year.

"We've talked about what behavior is or isn't appropriate," the Milton resident said. "We've talked about never being alone."

But after learning of more allegations at the Cape Cod camp, Parks said she has some more talking to do.

Contact: mirons@globe.com