Outraged parents demand accountability after shocking allegations rock Lake County epilepsy camp

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. - Outraged parents are speaking out after what they are calling a dangerous situation at an epilepsy camp in the northern suburbs.

They say teenagers seemed to be in charge with little to no medical personnel supervision. The parents also claim their kids’ daily epileptic medicine doses were wrong, and that the camp ran out of food.

"It was a criminal act. This person had absolutely no qualifications and no credentials to administer anything to anybody," said Eric Wolkott.

His 12-year-old daughter went to the camp, and he’s now thinking about pressing criminal charges.

"What they did was wrong, and somebody needs to own up to it and somebody needs to be responsible."

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Last Sunday, Wolkott took his daughter to Camp Duncan in Ingleside. This was the first year the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago was using this camp, after last year's site closed. It was supposed to be a week of swimming, hiking, bonfires — the quintessential summer camp.

"Kids with epilepsy get everything taken from them," he said. "This is the one thing that's not supposed to be taken away, and it was taken away."

Wednesday morning Wolkott got a call from the camp that they were shutting down three days early.

"They had no staff, they had no medical staff and that was literally their words, ‘They just could not deal with it,’" said Wolkott.

In a letter sent home to parents about the abrupt closure, the Executive Director says: "…Camp Duncan staff determined that Camp Phoenix campers’ medical needs were more complex than had been conveyed and what the 1:1 aides could assist with."

Wolkott’s daughter said she was given the wrong doses of her daily medicine and food was hard to come by.

"Some kids weren't eating all day," said Wolkott. "My daughter went a whole day eating one Eggo waffle, that's all she had for a full day."

The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago says in a statement they toured this new location and, "We felt confident there would be an appropriate ratio of care provided at all times, adequate medical support, and that the needs of our campers would be met in an enjoyable and safe camp experience."

They add they are working to ensure this never happens again.

Wolkott told FOX 32 a group of parents have reached out to an attorney and a meeting is planned for next week.

Full Statement from Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago:

"EFGC is disappointed about having to close Camp Phoenix earlier this week. The safety and wellbeing of our campers and staff is of utmost importance. EFGC has been hosting camp for our families for 20 years, and sadly, this is the first time that we have had to end the camp earlier than planned. After Camp Red Leaf shuttered its doors last year, EFGC spent months researching viable options, including Camp Duncan. We toured the site and their health facilities, gathered testimonies from previous camp groups, as well as reviewed Camp Duncan’s guidelines, procedures and staffing for children with special needs. We felt confident there would be an appropriate ratio of care provided at all times, adequate medical support, and that the needs of our campers would be met in an enjoyable and safe camp experience. We also decided to provide 1:1 camp aides and a registered nurse to ensure an adequate ratio of care and support. Once we decided to move forward with Camp Duncan, EFGC worked together with Camp Duncan’s leadership to create a comprehensive plan for our campers so that all their needs can be met onsite. As part of the process, we hosted a Zoom call for parents and families with Camp Duncan’s staff to provide an overview of the camp experience, and answer any questions our families had about the camp. When we heard from Camp Duncan’s leadership Tuesday evening that they were having staffing issues and could not provide the level of support we had expected, we mutually agreed that it was in the best interest of our campers and families that we end the camp experience early and notified families as soon as we could after we made that decision. We recognize the inconvenience this has caused and feel terribly about how disappointing this has been for our campers and their families. We share in that disappointment. EFGC is already working feverishly to make sure this never happens again. We ask for your patience and support while we identify a new campsite for next year and come up with a plan to ensure we are able to provide the fun, unique, and safe camp experience that has been offered in prior years."