Brunswick County Schools Cuts YMCA Ties After Parents Report Camp Safety Failures

Brunswick County Schools has cut ties with the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina after parents came forward with accounts of unsupervised children, missing identification checks at pickup, and an incident that left a 7-year-old boy with special needs covered in welts. The district announced on August 19 that it would not renew its after-school, summer camp, and full-day camp agreements with the nonprofit, ending YMCA operations in school facilities immediately, just days before the 2026-2027 school year began.

The district said the decision followed a review of multiple concerns tied to student supervision and safety during programming, and that it needed to reassess staffing expectations, supervision practices, safety procedures, and overall program structure before setting up alternative after-school care, according to Port City Daily. Citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Brunswick County Schools withheld individual names and details when discussing the concerns publicly. The YMCA agreement, which had allowed the nonprofit to use school facilities for after-school activities, was due for renewal this winter.

A Mother's Account of Her Son's Injuries

Ashleigh Hall enrolled her 7-year-old son, who has special needs, in the YMCA's 2025 summer camp program in part because of its affiliation with the school district, a connection she said gave her confidence in the program. She said YMCA leadership assured her a staff member would monitor her son at all times, since he required close supervision and would sometimes run away, including into streets.

Her son attended only one day of the camp. According to Hall's account, a staff member left children unsupervised while taking a phone call from a parent, and during that lapse, the boy went under a table after learning his age group could not take part in a model rocket simulation. A staff member reportedly instructed two boys, ages 11 and 12, to coax him out from under the table, and the boys reportedly dragged him across the floor instead. Hall said she later found her son's shirt stretched and his back covered with red welts.

Police Contact and a Difficult Decision

Hall called the police after the incident and was told she could file charges against the boys involved, but she decided against pursuing criminal or civil complaints. She said liability waivers made it difficult to pursue legal action against YMCA staff. Hall informed her son's principal, who shared the incident report with the district, and she said she ultimately had to put the incident behind her in order to move on.

Hall said she hopes sharing her story pushes the district to better support summer camps serving students with special needs. She enrolled her son at Ocean View Baptist Church for care going forward.

ID Checks and a Ripple Effect From Southport

Taron Scherer, another Brunswick County parent, turned to YMCA summer programs after Southport's Parks and Recreation Department shut down in March 2026 amid a State Bureau of Investigation probe into at least $17,000 in missing municipal funds, according to Public Radio East. With that local recreation option gone, Scherer enrolled his 6-year-old son in the YMCA summer camp at Towne Creek Elementary.

Scherer reported that YMCA staff did not ask for his identification at pickup and said he observed other parents arriving to collect children without being asked to show ID either. “The people did not care enough to check IDs,” Scherer said, per the same account. A YMCA program director assured Scherer the identification concern would be addressed, but he removed his son from the program after a few days regardless.

The YMCA's Response and What Comes Next

The YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina, chartered in 1887 as the state's first YMCA association and serving more than 20,000 children and families annually across New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and Sampson counties, said it takes the school district's concerns seriously and has reviewed the issues raised. The organization said it prioritizes the safety and well-being of every child in its care, has reinforced its safety and supervision procedures, and values its relationship with the school system. It said it plans to continue conversations with district leadership and hopes to identify opportunities to partner again in the future.

The YMCA held its Brunswick County summer camps at Belville Elementary, Town Creek Middle, and Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary, with camps at school facilities accommodating between 25 and 50 children and advertising weekly offsite field trips and activities centered on space, sports, and nature. In previous school years, the district's after-school partnership with the YMCA ran until 6 p.m. at elementary sites including Belville, Lincoln, Town Creek, and Union, charging families between $35 and $49 per week. The district has not provided enrollment numbers for the after-school partnership.

Brunswick County Schools has emailed parents information about alternative after-school options and said it is pursuing new vendor agreements as it evaluates program structure and safeguards for students and families. Local options for elementary-age care include Leland-based KinderStop, which offers dedicated transportation for Belville, Lincoln, and Town Creek students along with sensory rooms and staff training for children with special needs, developed in partnership with the Autism Society of North Carolina. Under North Carolina General Statutes governing child care, school-age programs operating inside public school buildings must meet state staff-to-child ratio standards and follow mandatory reporting procedures for child safety and maltreatment, rules that apply to any organization the district contracts with going forward.