My wife and I came to this area 10 years ago after teaching in a lower-middle-class community for 25 years that had two high schools separated by a river. That community suffered the loss of several students to separate drowning incidents over a period of years. The circumstances prompted a reactive response and swimming pools were built at both schools. Programs were put in place so that every student in grades three, six and nine were required to take swimming and water safety instructional classes as part of their curriculums. The community has not suffered the loss of a single child since those proactive policies were instituted.
If you ask any parent, teacher, administrator or member of our community what the primary priority of any school or district is, they will immediately say student safety. Our job as a community is to protect the lives of all our children so they can grow and learn important and necessary life skills. Without their safety, learning becomes meaningless.
No child caught in a rip tide or strong current was ever saved by their ABCs. In light of two recent drowning incidents in our area, we write this letter in the hope that this community, surrounded by an ocean, rivers and waterways, will take a proactive approach to keeping all of our students safe. We believe a swimming pool and instructional water safety program for all students in the Cape district need to be a top priority, not just another taxpayer expense. It is not the pool that is important; it is the programs and teaching tools the pool provides for all students (including those who cannot afford such instruction elsewhere) that is the priority. We ask you to weigh out the cost of the loss of one child’s life and decide how much it might be worth to you if it is your child or grandchild. At the next referendum, please consider these thoughts and vote yes for water safety programs for the lives of all our kids.
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