Safety advocates push for stricter measures after San Jose day care double drowning
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The state levied $11,000 in penalties and temporarily suspended the license of a San Jose day care where two young girls drowned, and a third child was rescued.
Additionally, the state has threatened to revoke the day care's license.
However, child safety advocates argue that falls short of addressing the issue adequately.
"It's too little, too late. These children have drowned. These families and communities are affected forever," said Doug Forbes, who founded the Meow Meow Foundation in memory of his late daughter Roxie, who drowned at a summer camp in Los Angeles at the age of 6.
Happy Happy Daycare, located on Fleetwood Drive in San Jose, did have a 5-foot gate around its pool that passed state muster. However, Forbes insists that officials should mandate additional safety measures such as video surveillance, alarms, water safety assessments, and emergency response plans to be shared with parents.
"These are just a few of the very things we could ask of these home daycare facilities, or we do not license them if they have pools on the premises," Forbes emphasized.
Forbes underscores the necessity of responsible adult supervision, noting that safety features alone are insufficient.
"Humans are humans. We are fallible. We are not setting out to kill or harm children," he said.
Another advocate, Kristina Andrews, who lost her 3-year-old daughter Kourtney to drowning and runs Kourtney's Kause to raise awareness of the drowning issue, shared a video showing an alarm triggered when she opens a door leading to her pool, which is enclosed by a gate and has a pool cover.
Inspectors cited San Jose day care 6 times before double-drowning in pool
Happy Happy Home Daycare in San Jose has been cited six times in less than three years, state records show. Inspectors raised questions about the backyard pool long before two girls died Monday.
Regardless of state mandates, she emphasizes that the primary layer of protection must always be vigilant adults. Andrews acknowledges that the San Jose incident is not an isolated occurrence.
"It's shocking that so many got out of sight, but not shocking in the sense that children do things in pairs, right, or in groups," she said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.