Downingtown high school students were drinking while supervising a youth football camp, district says
The camp, which ran in June, was open to students in first through ninth grades.
Two Downingtown high school students admitted to drinking alcohol while supervising a football camp at Downingtown East High School last month, district officials said Friday.
The students, who were minors, were removed from the Blue & Gold camp after the district learned about the incident June 18, said Downingtown spokesperson Jennifer Shealy.
The camp, which ran from June 15-19 by the Downingtown East football team’s booster club with the help of high school volunteers, was open to students in first through ninth grades. The club did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Shealy said an adult volunteer “partially responsible” for supervising the students was also removed from the camp.
In a statement, district officials said that “district staff were present and overseeing camp operations at all times, ensuring that campers remained supervised and safe during the camp.”
The district said in the statement that it had “addressed the matter promptly in accordance with district policies and Student Code of Conduct,” but couldn’t comment on specific allegations “or any disciplinary actions that may have occurred.”
In a letter the district said was sent to parents of campers, Downingtown High School East principal Paul Hurley and athletic director Corey Sigle said they were “shocked and deeply disappointed” by those involved in the incident.
“The trust placed in our students by younger campers, families, coaches, and community members makes this behavior especially disappointing,” Hurley and Sigle said in the letter.
Hurley and Sigle also apologized “for not communicating the initial report immediately.” It wasn’t clear when the letter was sent.
The students who admitted to drinking did not have drivers’ licenses and did not drive drunk, Shealy said.
