disciplinedidea
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Update- Nov 8- I spoke with an officer about the child abuse. After taking down details they asked me to go to the POC (police operations center) to meet with a detective from special crimes. I did that tonight though there must have been a miscommunication since the detective was not there when I arrived. I am rescheduled to meet later this week.
A family member (I'll refer to them as T) sent an email to the scholarship org this afternoon and showed them this post. T has a lawyer, and told the org they (T) would supply me with lawyer support and blast this on local news outlets. The scholarship org responded to me a little about 2.5 hrs after that.
They (the org) said they have been working with Z, several times, over the past 3 years and never heard a single complaint. They said they wished I had contacted them about this earlier while it was going on so they could have tried to step in and help.
Then they said if I uploaded my ISR registration forms and stated my end date for lessons, they'll send me a check for my $420. I have uploaded those forms to them and put in the end dates. I'm waiting. Will update if I get the money or if things progress with the detective. Unless they tell me not to, then I'll state that. If I'm allowed to state that.
Original post on Nov 7- This is going to be long despite my best efforts to shorten things.
I'm a mom of 4. Kids are 14, 7, 5, and 3.
When I was little I was pushed in the water by a peer. Not knowing how to swim, I flailed and blacked out. I was revived. But it left me with this fear of water.
I didn't want that for my children so I looked into swim lessons for them. I found that ISR lessons kept coming up as the best type of swim lessons. So I looked into the ones around us and I found that they were very out of our budget. Approx. 4k. I found a scholarship that reduced the total cost to me.
The terms of the scholarship stated that I pay $420 (105 per child) to the ISR org which I paid by taking a loan. This would be reimbursed to me fully at the end by the scholarship org. I was to pay a (deeply discounted) $20 weekly fee to the instructor (I will refer to her as Z) as well. Lessons were to be done during the weekdays, 40 min a day (10 min per child), 5 days a week, for 6 weeks.
The first week was good. Z seemed competent, kind, and invested in the kids' success.
It's a 30 min drive for me. Since I have three little kids I always left home 60-80 minutes earlier. The lessons took place at a center similar to a YMCA.We would enter the center where the lessons took place about 10 minutes early. Then after signing in at the front, we would be buzzed in, and we would head to a locker room (just next to the pools) and wait there until lesson time.
Z seemed to be good friends with one of the lifeguards at the center. I'll refer to the lifeguard as S.
Our 2nd week there as we were seated on benches in the locker room waiting. Z arrived and held the door (to the pools) open, and told us to come in. As I gathered the kids and my things, Z walked on. I opened the door to the pools, and as I stepped in I saw Z and S were chatting, and S turned and shouted at me "you need to leave, you can't be in here".
It was time for our lessons, S had been there the previous week, and so I thought she knew this. Furthermore Z had just called us in, yet at that moment stood an arm's length from S just staring at me not saying anything. Confused, I waited by the door (thinking I had to leave), and asked Z "Didn't you tell us to come in?" To this she laughed and said "well yeah" and then turned to S and started chatting again.
Then I walked up to the pools and started to set my things down. I was upset at being shouted at, when I had done nothing wrong. So I gathered my thoughts and waited for them to finish talking. Then I told S, "Hey just so you know, we always arrive early, but I make sure to wait out there. I'm not ever trying to come in here early." She said "Ok, but I don't want your kids there (she pointed to the pool.)" I replied, "I've always made sure my kids are never there, and I keep them by me in this area (I pointed to the area we were told to wait at during lessons), until Z calls them for lessons." And that was what I had always done, since the rules stated that if any child ever touched the water when they weren't in lesson, we would be sent home immediately, and it might be cause to have all our lessons completely done with. I had made sure my children stayed by me, sitting in a line, and I was very watchful every lesson.
During the next weeks, a dad and his son would enter the pool area by us while we were having lessons. The dad would be on his phone while his son ran around touching, splashing and playing in the pool water. The next time the same child came with his mom. She sat down and looked at her phone while he continued to play in the pool water. I looked over at Z and S (she was there both these times), I saw them look at the child but nothing was said and that family was not sent home. That family is all white as is S. Z is either white or white passing. I'm a woman of color. This made me think the only distinction between that family being allowed to do that and me being shouted at for not even doing what that boy was allowed to do, might have been the color of my skin. It was not okay in any regard but if I was being targeted due to the color of my skin, that's even more not okay at all.
From that 2nd week onwards, perhaps because I advocated for myself that day, there was a lot of bad treatment and hostility towards me from Z.
She was late to lessons on at least 10 different occasions during the course of the 6 weeks. Once it was over 20 minutes late. But our swim lessons would end promptly regardless of when they started, even when it was a delayed start due to her tardiness. There were many days we would either be locked out of the swimming area during lesson time while Z chatted with lifeguards inside, or the area would be open and we would enter, but Z would not be there. On one occasion lifeguards were completely absent and not even in the pool room. Per regulations a lifeguard was to be present at all times. I gathered video evidence of all of this. I live in a 1 party consent state. She changed the time of our lessons, the day of, two times. One of these times I was 20 minutes late due to traffic despite leaving an hr early.
Out of the 6 weeks, Z only taught my kids for 20 days. Early on she told me to write her the 6 weekly checks ahead of time and even snickered and said it was such a small, non consequential amount being paid to her. So I did. At that time I will admit, I was okay with doing this as it eliminated the burden of late fees off me. Today she cashed in all 6 checks.
I furthermore received an email from the scholarship org today that I will not be reimbursed the $425 due to Z reaching out to them and accusing me of various things.
----It gave me an error so I'm posting the rest as a comment---
A family member (I'll refer to them as T) sent an email to the scholarship org this afternoon and showed them this post. T has a lawyer, and told the org they (T) would supply me with lawyer support and blast this on local news outlets. The scholarship org responded to me a little about 2.5 hrs after that.
They (the org) said they have been working with Z, several times, over the past 3 years and never heard a single complaint. They said they wished I had contacted them about this earlier while it was going on so they could have tried to step in and help.
Then they said if I uploaded my ISR registration forms and stated my end date for lessons, they'll send me a check for my $420. I have uploaded those forms to them and put in the end dates. I'm waiting. Will update if I get the money or if things progress with the detective. Unless they tell me not to, then I'll state that. If I'm allowed to state that.
Original post on Nov 7- This is going to be long despite my best efforts to shorten things.
I'm a mom of 4. Kids are 14, 7, 5, and 3.
When I was little I was pushed in the water by a peer. Not knowing how to swim, I flailed and blacked out. I was revived. But it left me with this fear of water.
I didn't want that for my children so I looked into swim lessons for them. I found that ISR lessons kept coming up as the best type of swim lessons. So I looked into the ones around us and I found that they were very out of our budget. Approx. 4k. I found a scholarship that reduced the total cost to me.
The terms of the scholarship stated that I pay $420 (105 per child) to the ISR org which I paid by taking a loan. This would be reimbursed to me fully at the end by the scholarship org. I was to pay a (deeply discounted) $20 weekly fee to the instructor (I will refer to her as Z) as well. Lessons were to be done during the weekdays, 40 min a day (10 min per child), 5 days a week, for 6 weeks.
The first week was good. Z seemed competent, kind, and invested in the kids' success.
It's a 30 min drive for me. Since I have three little kids I always left home 60-80 minutes earlier. The lessons took place at a center similar to a YMCA.We would enter the center where the lessons took place about 10 minutes early. Then after signing in at the front, we would be buzzed in, and we would head to a locker room (just next to the pools) and wait there until lesson time.
Z seemed to be good friends with one of the lifeguards at the center. I'll refer to the lifeguard as S.
Our 2nd week there as we were seated on benches in the locker room waiting. Z arrived and held the door (to the pools) open, and told us to come in. As I gathered the kids and my things, Z walked on. I opened the door to the pools, and as I stepped in I saw Z and S were chatting, and S turned and shouted at me "you need to leave, you can't be in here".
It was time for our lessons, S had been there the previous week, and so I thought she knew this. Furthermore Z had just called us in, yet at that moment stood an arm's length from S just staring at me not saying anything. Confused, I waited by the door (thinking I had to leave), and asked Z "Didn't you tell us to come in?" To this she laughed and said "well yeah" and then turned to S and started chatting again.
Then I walked up to the pools and started to set my things down. I was upset at being shouted at, when I had done nothing wrong. So I gathered my thoughts and waited for them to finish talking. Then I told S, "Hey just so you know, we always arrive early, but I make sure to wait out there. I'm not ever trying to come in here early." She said "Ok, but I don't want your kids there (she pointed to the pool.)" I replied, "I've always made sure my kids are never there, and I keep them by me in this area (I pointed to the area we were told to wait at during lessons), until Z calls them for lessons." And that was what I had always done, since the rules stated that if any child ever touched the water when they weren't in lesson, we would be sent home immediately, and it might be cause to have all our lessons completely done with. I had made sure my children stayed by me, sitting in a line, and I was very watchful every lesson.
During the next weeks, a dad and his son would enter the pool area by us while we were having lessons. The dad would be on his phone while his son ran around touching, splashing and playing in the pool water. The next time the same child came with his mom. She sat down and looked at her phone while he continued to play in the pool water. I looked over at Z and S (she was there both these times), I saw them look at the child but nothing was said and that family was not sent home. That family is all white as is S. Z is either white or white passing. I'm a woman of color. This made me think the only distinction between that family being allowed to do that and me being shouted at for not even doing what that boy was allowed to do, might have been the color of my skin. It was not okay in any regard but if I was being targeted due to the color of my skin, that's even more not okay at all.
From that 2nd week onwards, perhaps because I advocated for myself that day, there was a lot of bad treatment and hostility towards me from Z.
She was late to lessons on at least 10 different occasions during the course of the 6 weeks. Once it was over 20 minutes late. But our swim lessons would end promptly regardless of when they started, even when it was a delayed start due to her tardiness. There were many days we would either be locked out of the swimming area during lesson time while Z chatted with lifeguards inside, or the area would be open and we would enter, but Z would not be there. On one occasion lifeguards were completely absent and not even in the pool room. Per regulations a lifeguard was to be present at all times. I gathered video evidence of all of this. I live in a 1 party consent state. She changed the time of our lessons, the day of, two times. One of these times I was 20 minutes late due to traffic despite leaving an hr early.
Out of the 6 weeks, Z only taught my kids for 20 days. Early on she told me to write her the 6 weekly checks ahead of time and even snickered and said it was such a small, non consequential amount being paid to her. So I did. At that time I will admit, I was okay with doing this as it eliminated the burden of late fees off me. Today she cashed in all 6 checks.
I furthermore received an email from the scholarship org today that I will not be reimbursed the $425 due to Z reaching out to them and accusing me of various things.
----It gave me an error so I'm posting the rest as a comment---