Two Petworth parents advocate for more DPR swim lessons
/by Cesse Ip
As every parent who has ever tried to sign their child up for DPR swim lessons knows, it’s next to impossible. In Ward 4, DPR lessons are only offered at Takoma Rec Center, not at Roosevelt High School nor at any outdoor pools like Upshur.
Two Petworth parents, Rachael Katz and Nikola Nable-Juris, saw that it was a safety concern that Petworth kids live so close to two pools but didn’t have opportunities to learn how to swim safely, so they decided to advocate for themselves and their neighbors. Katz and Nable-Juris have created a letter to Councilmember Trayon White, the chairman of DC Council Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs, to provide lessons at the newly open to the public Roosevelt pool. They are also organizing a group to testify at the upcoming oversight hearing for the Department of Parks and Recreation on Thursday, February 23rd at 2pm.
In a positive step, Councilmember Janeese Lewis George has introduced the Weekend Equal Access to Swimming Act, requiring all publicly owned indoor pools in DC to be open to the public at least one weekend day per week.
