Dad says 3-year-old son nearly drowned during swim lesson; coach suspended父亲称3岁儿子在游泳课上险些溺水；教练已被停职
A father claimed his three-year-old son nearly drowned during a swimming lesson on Sunday (Sept 6), after the coach allegedly failed to notice that he had fallen into the pool.The coach has since been suspended while the swimming academy conducts an internal investigation.Huang, an IT manager, had earlier signed his three-and-a-half-year-old son up for swimming lessons at Little Splashes Aquatics...
A father claimed his three-year-old son nearly drowned during a swimming lesson on Sunday (Sept 6), after the coach allegedly failed to notice that he had fallen into the pool.
The coach has since been suspended while the swimming academy conducts an internal investigation.
Huang, an IT manager, had earlier signed his three-and-a-half-year-old son up for swimming lessons at Little Splashes Aquatics at SingPost centre in Eunos, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
The incident happened during the boy's fourth and final lesson.
Huang, 38, said that parents are not allowed in the pool area, but he and his wife stood nearby to observe the lesson as they were concerned about their son.
At around 3.21pm, the coach was teaching another child while Huang's son and another student were standing on an underwater platform.
Neither child, said Huang, was wearing any flotation equipment at the time.
The father claimed that the platform was outside the coach's line of sight when his son slipped and fell into the water.
Huang said the boy was in the water for about 10 seconds before he noticed something was wrong and rushed in to pull him out.
According to Huang, the coach only apologised and said she had not noticed what happened before continuing with the lesson.
He also claimed that the coach did not check on his son afterwards.
Boy developed high fever
Huang said his son was frightened by the incident and that his wife subsequently complained to the academy and asked to view CCTV footage.
The request was denied, after which she made a police report. Huang said the couple did not get to view the footage, but police officers who reportedly arrived at the scene subsequently reviewed the CCTV.
The parents brought their son home, but he complained of feeling unwell the following day.
On Tuesday, the boy developed a fever of 40 deg C and also experienced diarrhoea. His parents took him to KK Women's and Children's Hospital that day.
He was discharged, but he reportedly remained unwell the following day before his condition improved on Thursday, Huang said.
The boy remained shaken by the incident and asked his parents why the coach had not come to his rescue.
Huang said he had decided not to send his son back for swimming lessons.
"We are speaking out in the hope of raising awareness about these safety concerns and calling for stricter safety measures to prevent other children from facing a similar situation," he told Zaobao.
Coach suspended: Little Splashes Aquatics
In response to AsiaOne queries, Little Splashes Aquatics said that it is aware of the incident and is conducting a comprehensive internal review.
This includes reviewing available CCTV footage and assessing the coach's conduct.
The academy said the class had a teacher-to-student ratio of one to three at the time. The pool was about 1m deep, while the underwater platform where students waited at was about 0.5m high.
The academy said the child moved on the platform and subsequently stepped off its edge into the water.
"The child's parent then entered the pool and assisted the child," added Little Splashes Aquatics.
"The police attended following the incident and reviewed the matter, including the available CCTV footage."
The academy said the police subsequently closed the case without further action.
As a precaution, the coach has been suspended from all duties pending the completion of the investigation and safety review.
It added that disciplinary action would be taken if any breaches were found.
"We believe it is important to consider all available information and evidence objectively before reaching any conclusion," the school said.
Little Splashes Aquatics said it had contacted the boy's parents and would continue communicating with them as the internal review progresses.
"We take the family's concerns seriously and remain committed to addressing the matter appropriately," it said.
"We will assess whether any further safeguards, staff training, supervision measures or operational procedures should be introduced or strengthened across our swimming programmes."
asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com
一位父亲声称，他的三岁儿子在周日（9月6日）的游泳课上差点溺水身亡，原因是教练没有注意到他掉进了泳池。
目前，该教练已被停职，游泳学院正在进行内部调查。
据《联合早报》报道，IT经理黄某此前已为他三岁半的儿子在友诺士新加坡邮政中心的Little Splashes Aquatics报名参加了游泳课。
事件发生在男孩的第四节也是最后一节课上。
38岁的黄先生说，家长不允许进入泳池区域，但他和妻子因为担心儿子的安全，所以站在附近观看课程。
下午 3 点 21 分左右，教练正在教另一个孩子游泳，而黄的儿子和另一名学生站在水下平台上。
黄先生说，两个孩子当时都没有穿戴任何救生设备。
父亲声称，儿子滑倒落水时，站台不在教练的视线范围内。
黄先生说，男孩在水里待了大约 10 秒钟，他才发现情况不对劲，赶紧冲进去把他拉了出来。
据黄女士称，教练只是道了歉，说她没有注意到发生了什么事，然后就继续上课了。
他还声称，教练事后没有关心他的儿子。
男孩出现高烧
黄先生说，他的儿子被这起事件吓坏了，他的妻子随后向学校投诉，并要求查看监控录像。
请求被驳回后，她向警方报案。黄女士表示，这对夫妇当时没能看到监控录像，但据称赶到现场的警员随后查看了监控录像。
父母把儿子带回家，但他第二天就说身体不舒服。
周二，这名男孩出现发烧，体温高达40摄氏度，并伴有腹泻。当天，他的父母带他去了KK妇女儿童医院。
黄说，他出院了，但据报道第二天身体仍然不舒服，直到周四病情才有所好转。
男孩仍然惊魂未定，他问父母为什么教练没有来救他。
黄先生说他决定不再送儿子去上游泳课了。
“我们发声是希望提高人们对这些安全问题的认识，并呼吁采取更严格的安全措施，以防止其他儿童面临类似的情况，”他告诉《联合早报》。
小水花水上运动队教练被停职
针对AsiaOne的询问，Little Splashes Aquatics表示，他们已经知晓此事，并正在进行全面的内部审查。
这包括查看现有的监控录像并评估教练的行为。
学院方面表示，当时该班级的师生比为1:3。泳池深约1米，学生等候的水下平台高约0.5米。
该学院表示，这名儿童在平台上移动，随后从平台边缘跌入水中。
“随后，孩子的家长进入泳池，帮助了孩子，”Little Splashes Aquatics补充道。
“事件发生后，警方赶到现场，对事件进行了调查，包括查看了现有的监控录像。”
学院方面表示，警方随后结案，未采取进一步行动。
作为预防措施，在调查和安全审查完成之前，该教练已被暂停一切职务。
声明还补充说，如果发现任何违规行为，将采取纪律处分。
学校表示：“我们认为，在得出任何结论之前，客观地考虑所有可用的信息和证据非常重要。”
小水花水上运动中心表示，他们已经联系了男孩的父母，并将随着内部审查的进行继续与他们沟通。
声明称：“我们认真对待家属的关切，并将继续致力于妥善处理此事。”
“我们将评估是否需要在我们的游泳项目中引入或加强任何进一步的保障措施、员工培训、监督措施或操作程序。”
asyiqin.nadzri@asiaone.com