Mixed opinions from Montgomery County parents on summer camp mask mandates

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (FOX 5 D.C) - Mask wearing policies at some summer camps in Montgomery County are getting push back from parents.

One side wants camps to enforce wearing a mask indoors and outdoors, while some other parents say, there’s no need for that.

"My son had to wear a mask pretty much all day at camp," said Montgomery County parent Erika Norman when speaking with Fox 5’s Ayesha Khan, Friday. "Even though he had a great time, he does mention that it bothers him and that it’s hot because they spend so much time outside and that is a long day to wear a mask for that amount of time in the heat."

Some parents believe that some camps in the area are catering to parents who want masks in place both outside and inside even though COVID-19 cases in Montgomery County, are low and the state and the county have both lifted their mask-wearing mandate.

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"I think it really should be up to the parents," said Jennifer Reesman, whose 11-year-old daughter attends camp in Montgomery County. "I think the other important part to recognize is that a lot of parents signed their kids up for camp before we knew this restriction would be lifted and so it is a conversation that camp directors should be having with parents."

Khan also spoke with Joe Richardson, CEO of Bar-T Summer Camps in Gaithersburg.

Richardson explained that when Maryland dropped its mask-wearing mandate on July 1, so did the camp but that was not before many parents who are worried about their child’s health and the Delta Variant, requested that they wanted the camp to reinstate their mask-wearing policy back into place—so they did.

Richardson said that the camp does not require anyone to wear a mask when kids and staff are outside unless the kids are in groups settings or are standing too closely in a line during outdoor camp activities and where social distancing is impossible.

"There is no way to make everybody happy and it’s such a fraught issue," said Richardson. "But one of our guiding principles is to do the safest thing and that’s what’s guided us through Covid, safely."

Richardson said that there are no immediate plans to change or update the camp’s current mask-wearing policy and will keep it in place until August 30 when kids return to in-person learning at school.

Khan also checked in with some other camps such as Camp Sonshine, Barrie Camp and Valley Mill Camp, where some parents who reached out to Khan said that their kids have to wear masks outside while at camp.

In an email statement to Khan, Dan Hayden with Barrie Camp said:

"The current Barrie School mask policy requires our campers and staff members to wear masks indoors, on buses, and outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained. The Camp Nurse and Camp Director are constantly evaluating this policy, and have been in communication with local pediatricians and doctors to evaluate our policy. It is our goal to ensure we are keeping our campers and staff safe and healthy throughout the summer. Should our policy change, we will let families know as soon as possible."

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In an email response from Valley Mill Camp, Director Frank Roberts said:

"Valley Mill Camp follows the recommendations of the American Camping Association and the Maryland State Department of Health regarding the use of masks."

Camp Sonshine did not respond to Khan’s email inquiry.

Khan also spoke with Laura Hungerford, Department Head for the Department of Population Health Sciences in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

Hungerford said that the best approach parents can take is to just ask about health guidelines the camp is using and determine if that is the right camp for their child and if they feel comfortable with the policy.

"I don’t think a parent would appropriately say to a camp that has a policy where kids wear a mask all the time, ‘Well my child won’t,’ because then you are going against the policy."