Lessons to be Learned
Every parent, indeed every responsible adult,
can learn from Yoni’s tragic death. Although Cathedral
Oaks Athletic Club (COAC) misrepresented itself
in advertisements as offering a safe summer camp experience
for children, and appeared to be an exclusive and licensed
athletic club, in fact it was not licensed for child
care at all. These advertisements lured Yoni's parents and
many other parents to send their children to that unlicensed
club, not knowing that it was, in fact, unlicensed. The fact
is, COAC employed young, inexperienced day care and water
safety personnel who were inattentive, casual, and not properly
trained, certified or supervised. What is most glaring is
that COAC was aware of this situation long before this tragedy
occurred. Had COAC taken seriously its responsibility to properly
provide for the care and safety of the young children in the
Camp, Yoni Gottesman would be alive today. Instead, COAC allowed
lifeguards to be inattentive or completely absent from the
pool area, counselors to have little or no knowledge of water
safety and proper CPR techniques, and a general aura of malaise
to exist among its employees. Had COAC been required to submit
to a State licensing review, these deficiencies COULD and
SHOULD have been corrected before they resulted in a child’s
death.
YOU CAN HELP!
If you are aware of a situation in which
children have been placed at risk of drowning in camps or
other child care facilities, please take the time to fill
out the form below. You can use this form to report problems
or dangerous situations at daycare facilities, swim clubs
or camps. In order to be able to follow up on this information,
we need the form to be filled in completely. Thank you for
your help. It may save a child’s life.
Click on one of the links below to
submit information about C.O.A.C. or other facilities:
In addition, you can contact the District
Attorney’s office, Sheriff’s office, Attorney General’s office
or Governor’s office and let them know that you expect government
authorities to protect children and their families from situations
like this. It is not too late to do what is right, including
criminal prosecution of the people who killed Yoni or who
were responsible for his death.
Next:
|
Contact
Sitemap
