‘Sounds like they're torturing these kids': Tough love swimming school in hot water
A backyard swimming school is in hot water over their unconventional teaching methods that forces fully clothed babies as young as six months to float on their backs.
The Kids Aquatic Survival School is part of a franchise that quite literally throws young children into the deep end, pushing their limits with a sink or swim type education.
A neighbour raised the alarm after listening to hours of “cries, screaming and gagging” from distressed children at the Wollongong backyard pool, telling Fairfax Media that it, “sounds like they’re torturing these kids".
“Over the past few months, the screaming has been relentless and we have been unable to open doors and windows on sweltering 30 degree summer days,” Ben Cornwell told the Illawarra Mercury.
“As far as I'm concerned, I want it shut down, I just don't think this type of business should be allowed to operate in a quiet residential street.”
Mr Cornell said he and his wife are unable to do their work from home and his own children have been left distressed by the hours of crying, prompting him to start a logbook of the unconventional swimming lessons, which he shared with the Wollongong Council.
Despite being approached by more than one neighbour, swim school operator Megg Grundy defended her methods and remained unapologetic about the noise coming from the area.
“Look, children do cry in the lessons, but their children scream all the time next door so it’s no difference than if I had my own kids,” she said.
The Wollongong Council said they were investigating the matter.
