Several parents reached out to WFAA saying their kids tested positive following a summer camp hosted by Keller’s Keystone Church. The camp took place in Hill County from July 6th to the 10th. Tarrant County officials confirmed they are aware of cases linked to the camp.
Stephanie Brady sent her daughter to the camp. Her daughter is among the campers who tested positive for coronavirus.
“She hasn’t eaten at all. She hasn’t eaten in about two days, actually,” Brady said of her daughter. “There’s only so much Netflix she can watch and it’s just hard for her to stay quarantined in a room by herself.”
Brady’s daughter started her quarantine on the 10th and will be in quarantine until the 27th.
The church deleted photos from the summer camp that they had posted on their Facebook page. Those photos and videos showed dozens of students shoulder to shoulder, not social distancing.
“We found out later from my daughter that they considered their small group 40, which was how many were in her cabin,” Brady said. “So when they were with those 40 girls, they didn’t have to social distance, they didn’t have to wear masks, to me that is not a small group.”
Brady is frustrated by a lack of communication from the church as many families learned about campers testing positive.
Brady said that many of her daughter's friends who attended the camp tested positive for coronavirus. She said the leaders of the camp told her they would not be sending another notification to the church community after learning of the positive coronavirus cases.
“I went back to them and said, ‘I really think you should let the community know, I think it’s your responsibility," Brady said. "You just released 300+ children into our community and to surrounding communities, that could potentially test positive. And [the camp director] said that ‘no further action was going to be taken.'
"When I reached out to [the camp director], he was like, 'Well I didn’t make you send your kid to camp. I didn’t force you to send her.' And I was like, ‘No you didn’t, but we were really hoping that you would have taken the necessary precautions to make sure she was safe.'"
Keystone Church didn’t release any statement until the media inquired about the camps on Sunday.
“Keystone Church takes seriously the physical, spiritual and emotional health of our community and those that call Keystone Church their home,” the statement said. “Keystone Church, along with other churches and local non-profit camp organizations, held summer camp. If any camper was possibly exposed, the parents or guardians of the exposed camper were immediately notified under the guidelines of The Texas State Health Department and the CDC. Keystone Church has always and will continue to pray for, invest in and serve our community.”
Brady said she is grateful for the positive experience her daughter had at camp the past several years, but she just wishes the church would have been safer while hosting the event in the middle of a pandemic.
“To me, for the church, it was a little irresponsible,” Brady said. “All we can do now is hope that she gets better and hope it doesn’t get to the rest of my family.”
