Politics & Government
Will Newtown Summer Camp Open This Year?
It depends on how comfortable parents are sending their kids to camp, which depends on precautions taken.
According to a Newtown Patch article (here), Newtown Township Parks & Recreation said it is still planning to hold its popular summer camps.
"Summer camp will be even more important for kids this year because they miss interacting with friends and classmates due to school closings," an update issued on May 6, 2020, said.
In its official announcement (below), the Parks & Rec Department did not indicate what, if any, guidelines it will follow to keep children safe from coronavirus infection. The Patch news story, however, quotes the Department as saying it would be following "all CDC guidelines."
Find out what's happening in Newtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In fact, no official Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for reopening summer camps yet exist.
Find out what's happening in Newtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The CDC, however, DID issue draft guidelines for "Reopening Youth Programs and Camps During the COVID-19 Pandemic" but these guidelines (shown above) were rejected by the White House.
Also, I've been told that the PA Recreation and Parks Society is working on guidelines with the state, but these have not yet been published as far as I know.
In it's announcement, the Parks & Rec Dept asks parents to notify them before June 12, 2020, if they do not feel comfortable sending their children to camp. You can visit www.newtownfun.com to contact the department or call 215-968-2800 X239.
In order to find out for myself, I am hosting a short survey that asks how comfortable you would be sending your child to Newtown summer camp with or without guidelines such as the rejected CDC guidelines shown above. Take this 1-minute survey here.
No identifying information is collected via this survey unless you opt-in to provide such information for purposes of follow-up by subscribing to Newtown News Update, my email newsletter.
After completing the survey you will be able to see a summary of results to date (comments not included).
DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Newtown Township approved survey. Its purpose is solely to inform John Mack – a Newtown Supervisor – of the public’s opinion regarding this issue.