Coppell Camp Counselors Fired for Excessive Discipline (daycare, home) - Dallas - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

FarNorthDallas · 06-12-2008, 08:12 PM

Did y'all see this story? These camp counselors made twenty 12-14 year olds crawl on a hot jogging track and they burned their hands. The counselors were punishing the kids for being rowdy during a movie being shown during this city sponsored summer program held at an elementary school. The counselors were recent college graduates.
Camp counselors fired for 'excessive discipline' | Latest News | WFAA.com (http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080612_mo_excessive.26985b96.html - broken link)

So just how compliant do we want our kids to be to authority figures? Why are kids ages 12-14 in daycare?

JMoreno72 · 06-13-2008, 10:05 AM

I am not sure I understand your question about being compliant to authority figures. My daughter was one of the children made to crawl on the track. Her hands and knees were burned to the point of blistering. And her injuries were not even the worst. The children were also sreamed at and told to shut up in a boot camp fashion. Several of the kids were crying and one of the boys ultimately refused to complete the drill. My daughter called me crying telling me her hands and knees were burning. She asked me if she had to complete the drill and I told her absolutely not. Once the counselors discovered she had called me, they allegedly confiscated all of the campers cell phones.

I went to the camp and called the parents of the kids who requested that I do so. The camp is not a day-care program. It is a regular summer camp with swimming, field trips, etc. They even have a "teen camp" group, which is what my daughter was a part of.

FarNorthDallas · 06-13-2008, 12:21 PM

Oh, I am so sorry that happened to your daughter!! Thanks for posting. I just found this incident very upsetting. I feel so bad for the kids and the position they were put in. Thank goodness for cell phones and the kids carrying them.

My question about complying with authority figures wasn't good. I guess I was just wondering why the kids didn't refuse to injury themselves? Due to an incident with my child when he was younger I had to pull back on the "rule" that he must always do what he is told by authority figures. I told him it's okay to refuse, to say no, to be oppositional. It's not a popular thing to teach a child, but then you hear about what happened here and I wonder what my son would have done. He is in the same age range. It's too bad kids have to deal with things like this.

On the day camp thing, again, just some personal experience. So many of these types of summer programs hire adults who have no business leading kids. It just makes me mad. As soon as I could (I work) I got my son out of these activities partly due to poor management, bad counselors, massive disorganization. It just makes me mad. On paper it sounds okay, fun times, but in reality, not good.

One summer I went to pick him up from a residential camp. He went the last session. The director was giving a speech to the parents - ya know when they show the slide show and everything before you take your kid home - and he said they had a great session and it's a huge benefit to attend the last session because all of the bad counselors had been weeded out by then and the ones still here are still doing their job even though they were totally burned out. Wow. Give that man points for honesty.

Anyway, I guess this incident just brought up a lot of emotions for me. I'm glad your daughter is okay. I'm sorry this happened to all the kids. I hope the counselors get criminal charges filed against them.

woho1 · 03-17-2009, 12:19 PM

I was one of the kids forced to crawl, my hands were blistered and bleeding. Since i did not have a cell phone i was not able to contact my mom forcing me to continue. Not only was the track black but it was steaming and yes anytime we even made a noise we were told to shut up and continue. My hands still have marks from were the blisters were.And i do remember one mother coming up there and yelling at the counselors and offering to call our parents, she was really nice. Although after she left the counselors forced us back to the room where we sat in silence. A short while later some police showed and took pictures of our hands and called our parents to notify them of the problem.Thanks for posting something!

renlouis · 03-17-2009, 03:04 PM

I can't tell you how sad this story makes me. A great example of why we need to teach our children when NOT to comply with authority...............

catluvr · 03-18-2009, 05:52 AM

Hopefully an isolated incident.; what a horrible experience. There are a lot of sick people out there.

Although nobody deserves to be treated like this and it is very wrong, I will say that some of our juveniles today are very disrespectful (still no reason for abuse and neglect or terrorism) and some adults are as well. What this comes down to is humans have got to learn to respect each other (juveniles and adults alike).

I would be curious for a follow-up...were charges filed? I haven't read the whole story...have to get to work.

shayley7898 · 03-19-2010, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woho1

I was one of the kids forced to crawl, my hands were blistered and bleeding. Since i did not have a cell phone i was not able to contact my mom forcing me to continue. Not only was the track black but it was steaming and yes anytime we even made a noise we were told to shut up and continue. My hands still have marks from were the blisters were.And i do remember one mother coming up there and yelling at the counselors and offering to call our parents, she was really nice. Although after she left the counselors forced us back to the room where we sat in silence. A short while later some police showed and took pictures of our hands and called our parents to notify them of the problem.Thanks for posting something!

Omgsh, this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not true and you are lying. I was a counselor at the camp and this is not even close to what actually happened. First of all I don't know why we even had a teen camp. The only reason these teenagers went to the camp is because their parents made them so they wouldn't have to deal with them during the summer. These kids are like 13 years-old and are disrespectful and have that teen attitude. The teen counselors took them onto the track because the teens were bored with the movie and wanted to get them active so they would stop disturbing the younger kids. The counselors were coming up with different things for the teens to do on the track. One of the counselors was a former football player and bear crawling was something he did all the time so he didn't think twice to having the kids do it. Yes it was hot outside and yes the track was black. He never said shut up and there is no way your hands were bleeding and blistering. This story is embellished and far from the truth. This teenager probably wanted to go home and was tired of having to take authority from a college graduate. This was one fast way to get back at them and a way to get home.

I know both of those teen counselors and they would never hurt anyone. The affects this has had on their careers and future is devastating...all because some spoiled rich little coppell teenager wanted to get their way.

TXNGL · 03-19-2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shayley7898

Omgsh, this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not true and you are lying. I was a counselor at the camp and this is not even close to what actually happened. First of all I don't know why we even had a teen camp. The only reason these teenagers went to the camp is because their parents made them so they wouldn't have to deal with them during the summer. These kids are like 13 years-old and are disrespectful and have that teen attitude. The teen counselors took them onto the track because the teens were bored with the movie and wanted to get them active so they would stop disturbing the younger kids. The counselors were coming up with different things for the teens to do on the track. One of the counselors was a former football player and bear crawling was something he did all the time so he didn't think twice to having the kids do it. Yes it was hot outside and yes the track was black. He never said shut up and there is no way your hands were bleeding and blistering. This story is embellished and far from the truth. This teenager probably wanted to go home and was tired of having to take authority from a college graduate. This was one fast way to get back at them and a way to get home.

I know both of those teen counselors and they would never hurt anyone. The affects this has had on their careers and future is devastating...all because some spoiled rich little coppell teenager wanted to get their way.

Any respectable camp would have had activities prepared for the teens so they couldn't get bored and bother the younger campers. That's how good programs work. You say you don't know why they had a teen camp. Obviously they shouldn't have if they didn't know what to do with them.

Rakin · 03-19-2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shayley7898

I know both of those teen counselors and they would never hurt anyone. The affects this has had on their careers and future is devastating...all because some spoiled rich little coppell teenager wanted to get their way.

I believe most of us Coppell folks with common sense realized this when it happened a few years back. Many kids today are being raised to be spoiled and fat who don't know what a baseball or screwdriver is used for.

Our grandparents would be embarrassed on how their grandkids are turning out. These are the same kids who get a job when they are older and their mother calls their boss when they are disciplined.

In particular, these boys need to be taught how to be men and be a little tougher.

loves2read · 03-19-2010, 01:19 PM

don't remember reading/hearing about this situation when it occurred

raising a child with discipline is something I agree with and practiced as a parent--was not above spanking my own children if/when that was the best way to get their attention and make my point--but that did not cross the bounds of becoming injurous

and I was what is called a "strict" teacher when I taught--and expected my children to be respectful in class even when the teacher might have been lacking in some regards or be a smart aleck him/her self...I could "shoot the dozens" with my students when I taught and for some students that was best way to deal with their disrespect...

but counselors at a camp who are teens themselves--or young adults--need to be SUPERVISED and advised to make sure that they carry out their responsiblities in situations without incurring liability for themselves or their programs...they are NOT the bosses I hope--if they are, then the adults who designed that camp made a serious error in judgement and responsibility themselves...

student coaches in the high school/middle school summer basketball and volleyball camps NEVER would have assigned students in those camp to run bleachers or do other type of punishment activities OR strengthening activities that their COACH did not design...

they would follow a game plan/tutorial/drill schedule that the coach created and supervised...

I can't believe that adults in charge of this "camp" just allowed the "counselors" to come up with activities when kids were bored--there should not be unscheduled/unplanned time in a camp situation...that is poor planning and just asking for trouble...