Please read this story...sad news
www.wenatcheeworld.com/.../
(NOTE: If the link doesn't get you to the story, click on the "HOME" button on the newspaper website, it'll be the "front page story". It's being updated frequently, so this link could be ever changing.)
Very very sad story and circumstance that happened today at the high school pool. :( I really feel sorry for the parents of this person, and I'm sure a lawsuit of some kind will be coming. I'm just glad I wasn't one of the teachers who was supposed to be "watching" the class.
I swim with my masters group every morning in this pool, and for the remainder of the month, ALL groups are out of the pool. Apparently the high school P.E. classes that use the pool for their swimming portion of the year, do so with the regular P.E. teachers supervising. Not a trained lifeguard, water instructor, etc. type of person. Just a regular old teacher.
I just talked with my masters coach, and she got the call from the school that said we are out, along with the swim team is out, and every user group out till the end of the month while they "do an investigation".
Basically what is going to be happening, is that they are going to require having a paid lifeguard on deck while all groups are using the pool. Not a problem for us to pay for that in the morning for masters, but kinda sucks that we're out till December. Hopefully we'll be able to return then, if not sooner!
I will still be able to swim in the afternoons at the YMCA pool, but I do enjoy my mornings.
We had someone come to our ER a few years ago after drowning in high school gym class...too many students to staff ratio or something like that. Teacher (reportedly a good teacher) lost his job.
As opposed to others, I don't get how almost adult high school students drown...seems you could just stand up. If you are 15 years old, can't swim and do not have the sense to stay in the shallow end, then I'm not sure there is much hope for you.
2 age-groupers on my kid's team near-drowned last year doing underwaters...not sure all the precautions, law suits, and lifeguards help in the end. I somehow (to the chagrin of many) survived many years of two per day practices without lifeguards.
I'm with you on all of this. Who knows what will happen with the teachers who were in charge of the groups. My masters coach told me that in the past, she talked with the high school about being a volunteer guard for the P.E. swimming sessions. The school told her they would "contact her" if needed. She was only called in once for a special-ed group that was doing lessons, and she gladly came in, and even did in water instruction and assistance with them.
She would've been there for all these P.E. classes too, as an "aquatic trained professional", but the school apparently did not need her help.
I think they will be changing their thinking now and will for sure have hired help, or require that each user group have hired guards on deck when in use.
We had someone come to our ER a few years ago after drowning in high school gym class...too many students to staff ratio or something like that. Teacher (reportedly a good teacher) lost his job.
As opposed to others, I don't get how almost adult high school students drown...seems you could just stand up. If you are 15 years old, can't swim and do not have the sense to stay in the shallow end, then I'm not sure there is much hope for you.
2 age-groupers on my kid's team near-drowned last year doing underwaters...not sure all the precautions, law suits, and lifeguards help in the end. I somehow (to the chagrin of many) survived many years of two per day practices without lifeguards.
I'm with you on all of this. Who knows what will happen with the teachers who were in charge of the groups. My masters coach told me that in the past, she talked with the high school about being a volunteer guard for the P.E. swimming sessions. The school told her they would "contact her" if needed. She was only called in once for a special-ed group that was doing lessons, and she gladly came in, and even did in water instruction and assistance with them.
She would've been there for all these P.E. classes too, as an "aquatic trained professional", but the school apparently did not need her help.
I think they will be changing their thinking now and will for sure have hired help, or require that each user group have hired guards on deck when in use.
