BURLINGTON, Vt. -
What's worse... a sunburn or a law suit? Every single state, except for California has a policy in place that doesn't allow teachers to apply sunscreen to students because of the liability factor. If the child has a doctor's note, it's a different story. But with summer here, we wanted to find out if summer camps are keeping your child's health in mind.
"Your face, don't forget your neck," YMCA summer camp kid Oscar Dowling said.
Sunscreen is slathered all over the body, but the kids have to do it themselves.
"There are guidelines about touching others," Burlington YMCA President and CEO, Mary Burns said. "We're a hands off place, we try not to have the staff touching the kids," Program Director of the Burlington Boys and Girls Club, Sarah Fisher said.
So while summer camp isn't a place to get a summer burn, organizations are looking to cover themselves legally.
"Staff do not apply it to kids unless it's the spray kind," Fisher added.
During the school year, 49 states have a policy in place that states that teachers and faculty members can not apply sunscreen without having a doctor's note. But at the YMCA, a parents signature will do. "We care for about a thousand children a day and I am not aware of any parent that has said no, you may not apply sunscreen," Burns said.
Both the club and the Y encourage outdoor activity, but that means sun exposure, so every time, before every outdoor activity, SPF is applied.
"You can't have kids getting burned, it's not healthy for them now, it's not healthy for them later," said Fisher.
So because that sun is "Really powerful," Dowling said, Sunscreen,"protects your skin from getting damaged," Sophia Toche of the YMCA said.
While many students bring their own sunscreen from home, both clubs provide SPF and are always looking for donations. For the Boys and Girls Club, it's week three at camp, and they've already spent $300.
