Atascadero High School: District is mum on pool policies

School officials did not release the rules Friday, two days after a junior drowned during a game in P. E. class

By AnnMarie Cornejo

Atascadero school officials couldn’t provide The Tribune with their high school’s pool safety policy Friday, two days after a 17-year-old boy drowned in the campus pool.

And some school board members said it is too soon to know whether the district will need to change that policy. One trustee said the discussion of that idea will have to be suggested by district staff or administrators, not by the board.

School officials are continuing to investigate how junior John Erlanson drowned while in the pool with as many as 30 other students in his P.E. class.

Erlanson had an unspecified medical condition, his family and school officials said. Wednesday was his first day in the pool after sitting out because of that condition, school officials have said.

An assistant principal said Erlanson had been playing a game with other students when some of them noticed that he was underwater. Some students have told administrators they believed Erlanson had a seizure and may have been under the water 20 or 30 seconds before he was pulled out by classmates.

School officials said a P.E. teacher was on the pool deck and had the class within sight at all times. And Assistant Principal Karen Donaghe has said the school doesn’t require lifeguards to be on duty for P.E. classes.

However, it is unclear what the school’s safety policy does require and whether it was being followed Wednesday, as district officials did not provide a copy to The Tribune or discuss its details.

The Tribune requested the policy Friday morning. District officials later mandated that all information about Wednesday’s drowning go through Superintendent John Rogers, not high school staff.

“High school staff is still busy conducting the investigation,” Rogers said late Friday afternoon in reporting that he would not be able to provide a copy of the policy.

“We are certainly reviewing every aspect of the accident and all aspects of safety are being discussed. One of the reasons we are doing such a thorough investigation is so that nothing is missed.”

District officials said the policy is specific to Atascadero High School; district trustees have never adopted a pool safety policy.

The Tribune also contacted board members Friday to ask whether they will review or consider changing the safety policy in the wake of Erlanson’s drowning.

Board President Terri Switzer said it would be up to district or school staff to bring forward to trustees an evaluation of the current safety policy or any recommendations for changes to that policy.

Other schools’ policies

Atascadero is one of two districts in the county with high schools that have pools. The other is the Lucia Mar school district in South County.

State education officials do not have a set of safety requirements to guide districts.

Generally, districts don’t adopt umbrella policies, local officials said. Rather, individual campuses develop their own.

Pool safety policies typically require that school staff be trained in lifesaving techniques such as CPR and first aid through the American Red Cross.

Lucia Mar has pools at both Arroyo Grande and Nipomo high schools. The campuses have separate but similar safety policies. All staff members involved with any use of their respective pools are required to be certified in a safety training swim course for coaches provided by the Red Cross.

“That was the choice of our school,” said Nate Erickson, department chairman of physical education at Arroyo Grande High School. “If a person is instructing swimming and something happens, you can perform a rescue.”

One staff member per 25 students is present at the pool, Erickson said. Student teachers, also certified in the safety training, assist with keeping staff levels at that ratio for physical education classes.

“It is what is recommended by the Red Cross,” Erickson said.

Grace McIntosh, executive director of San Luis Obispo County’s Red Cross chapter, could not address specific school policies. She said it’s up to districts to determine where and how they want staff to be certified.

She said the Red Cross offers training — in the classroom and the water — for school swimming instructors and lifeguards. Those who teach the classes are certified instructors who must know first aid and CPR and obtain an additional 23 hours of training. Certification in CPR is required on an annual basis.

“We believe strongly that at a minimum you need to refresh those skills every year,’’ she said. “There’s quite a bit of training that is required. But the hope is that they never have to use it.”

Jeff Hearn, superintendent of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, said the district is opening its first pool at Pioneer High School next week in conjunction with the city of Santa Maria. Pool safety policies are under review. The district plans to open pools at two more high schools.

“There will be a lifeguard on duty at all times; there will be one, if not two, for all activities,’’ Hearn said. “They will have no other responsibility other than being a lifeguard.’’

Over the summer, Hearn said the school district will meet with athletic directors and swim coaches about other procedures and regulations, such as the ratio of students to teachers in school pools.

Off-campus pools

School districts without pools often use community pools for classes and sports such as water polo and swimming.

Stacey King, park operations coordinator for San Luis Obispo County parks, said a minimum of two lifeguards — trained through the Red Cross — are on duty at all times at county pools.

County pools are operated in Shandon, San Miguel, Templeton, Santa Margarita, Cayucos and Cambria and are used by schools in those areas.

A special-use permit is issued to schools, and they are provided with a list of lifeguards, King said.

The Paso Robles school district requires all teachers or coaches who use any pool to have water safety training and a first-aid certificate through the Red Cross and be trained in CPR, said district spokesman Sheldon Smith.

“There are at least two adults on the deck watching the kids,” Smith said. “There is not a set ratio of staff members to students, but students are never unsupervised.”

Enterprise Editor Julie Lynem contributed to this report.