YMCA bans unsupervised youths from gymnasiums for a week
The YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County has banned unaccompanied minors from its gymnasiums for a week “due to lack of respect,” the Y said in a post on its Facebook page.
The action, announced late Thursday, drew pushback from some members of the public.
The Facebook post includes three photos showing what appears to be clothing and other items on the floor and under benches in one of the gyms at the Y, which is at Broadway and Pine Grove Avenue in Midtown Kingston.
People under the age of 18 will be admitted to the gyms only if accompanied by a parent or guardian “that is on file in our records,” the post states. The Y said the policy would be in effect until Nov. 9.
YMCA President/Chief Executive Officer Heidi Kirschner and Associate Executive Director Heather Bell did not respond to multiple phone messages and emails from a Freeman reporter on Friday.
Stephen Hack, vice chairman of the YMCA Board of Directors, said he was unfamiliar with the events leading up to Thursday’s decision. But, he said, “cleanliness is a struggle there, and we are very concerned about it . ... We have to maintain a facility that is acceptable to members.”
In a comment under the Y’s Facebook post, community activist Callie Mackenzie Jayne asked whether it was “fair to punish all children under 18 because of a few.”
“Can we find another way to teach these children about Caring, Honesty, Respect, & Responsibility besides closing the gym for these kids over a week?” Jayne wrote.
In an unsigned response to Jayne, the Y said, “This was not a decision made after one isolated incident.”
“We’d welcome your participation in a restorative justice solution that would be beneficial to
all,” the response stated. “It’s the intent of the Y to be a safe and fun place in the community for youth development . ... ”
Another commenter, Stephanie Doyle, suggested parents might form a board at the Y to watch children and teach “them how to act and respect.”
“Many people attend the YMCA on scholarship, and thank God they have the YMCA. A place to go instead of the streets,” Doyle wrote. “So now that the YMCA has provided the building, why doesn’t the community provide the lesson?”
Others said the YMCA should refund the $22 monthly teen membership fee to youths because of the ban.
Even before the Y announced the weeklong ban, its website stated that youths ages 12 to 14 are allowed to use the building without an adult up to 6 p.m. and must be under adult supervision with a parent, guardian or in a “YMCA structured program” after that time. Youths ages 15 to 17 are allowed to use the gym and participate in open gym activities but must leave the building by 8 p.m., the website states.