RICHMOND, Va. — SwimRVA has been granted an exemption by the Virginia Department of Education to continue summer camp operations without a state license — weeks after a 9-year-old drowned at one of its camps.
King Overton drowned during a summer camp at SwimRVA’s North Location in Henrico on June 15. Following his death, the VDOE determined SwimRVA was operating an unlicensed child day program and said its summer camps did not qualify for the licensing exemption the nonprofit claimed applied.
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SwimRVA Death: We now know why the state says the camp was not properly licensed
The agency ordered SwimRVA to submit a compliance plan by July 27 and either come into full compliance, qualify for an exemption, or cease operations by Aug. 14.
SwimRVA had believed its summer program met the definition of a “single focus” camp centered on swimming, which would exempt it from licensure. The VDOE disagreed, finding the nonprofit offered a range of activities unrelated to swimming — including out-of-water kickball and human bowling. Of the nine hours per day of activities, the state’s investigation showed only 1.5 hours were dedicated to swimming lessons…