Investigation Underway Into Firing Of Camp Counselor Diagnosed With Autism
CONNOQUENESSING (KDKA) -- A local summer camp is under investigation by state police after one of its teenage counselors, who has a form of autism, told officials he was being harassed.
Codey Vos, 18, of Cranberry Township, has been diagnosed with high-functioning autism. The teenager was terminated Thursday from his job as a co-counselor at the Lutherlyn Summer Camp.
Vos has been attending the summer camp in Connoquenessing for years. It was this summer when he was hired as a camp co-counselor.
He and his family believe he was fired after complaining to the camp administration about a camp employee who has been verbally and sexually harassing him.
"We got the phone call today after lunch that we need to pick him up because he told them what the employee did and they wanted him off the premise," said Vernon Vos, Codey's father.
"I have Asperger's, which means there are certain times that my mind doesn't work the same way as everybody else does," added Codey. "There's things that I do that maybe are a little bit quirky."
The director of the camp told KDKA-TV News, however, that Vos was let go because of his job performance, and staff found no merit in Vos' allegations of harassment.
But Vos and his parents say the administration turned a deaf ear to the complaints.
State Police escorted Vos and his parents off camp property Thursday.
"I enjoyed it, it was fun until I came to work here this year and my employer just was absolutely terrible to me," he said.
Codey's father says if police find no reason to file criminal charges, they will take it to the next level.
"I'm glad that we came up and got my son," he said. "It didn't go any further than the words."
He says they will file a complaint with the federal government, citing with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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