Parents of nine campers and counselors who died in last summer’s deadly Camp Mystic flooding have filed a federal lawsuit accusing Texas health officials of approving the camp despite safety violations required under state law.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court, claims the agency licensed Camp Mystic despite the camp’s failure to maintain a written evacuation plan, a requirement under Texas law for youth camps. Instead, according to the complaint, the camp’s emergency instructions directed campers to remain inside cabins during flooding, including cabins located in designated flood zones along the Guadalupe River.
Attorneys for the families say state inspectors approved the nearly 100-year-old camp year after year, including during an inspection conducted just two days before the flood.
When floodwaters swept through the camp, 27 campers and counselors were killed.
“The officials responsible for licensing youth camps deliberately looked the other way,” attorney Paul Yetter said in a statement. “State law requires evacuation plans, and Camp Mystic did not have one.”
Under Texas regulations, youth camps must have written disaster plans that include evacuation procedures for each occupied building before a license can be issued.
The lawsuit alleges the absence of such a plan should have prevented Camp Mystic from being approved.
The suit names DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford and five other agency officials involved in camp oversight and inspections. The families allege the officials acted “consciously and recklessly” by failing to enforce safety requirements designed to protect children, violating the victims’ constitutional rights.
Camp Mystic’s license has not been revoked and remains valid through March 6, 2026. The camp has announced plans to reopen this summer.
DSHS has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit.
As KPRC 2 Investigates previously reported, families who lost children in the July 4, 2025, Camp Mystic flood have been urging the Texas Department of State Health Services to block the camp’s license renewal, citing unanswered questions about safety and preparedness.
In interviews last week, multiple parents told KPRC 2 they still have not received a full account of what happened before and during the flood. Several said they do not trust that Camp Mystic’s owners have made sufficient changes to ensure camper safety, particularly as the camp has announced plans to reopen a different location for the 2026 season.
DSHS confirmed it received more than 200 emails opposing Camp Mystic’s license renewal and only a handful in support. As of Feb. 19, the camp had not yet submitted a renewal application, though the deadline runs through March 31.
Families have also raised concerns about how the state licenses and oversees youth camps, arguing that Texas allows camps to self-regulate more than other child-care settings. Those concerns have fueled calls for stricter oversight, which lawmakers addressed during a special session by passing new camp safety laws requiring stronger disaster preparedness plans and emergency communications.
Camp Mystic, through its attorney, has said the July 4 flood was unprecedented and unforeseeable, disputes allegations of wrongdoing, and says it is implementing new safety measures.