“She’s four years old, can’t touch the bottom, and isn’t allowed to wear a Coast Guard-approved vest. So instead of swimming, she clings to me, scared and frustrated.”
- Jason Davis
Olie's Gift & Ship
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Share your opinion about improving our pool by signing our simple, online petition.
Share this with your neighbors
Help this message reach everyone in our community.👉 Share this site with friends, neighbors, and your neighborhood groups.This is about more than just swim vests. it’s about trust, safety, and making our public pool a place where everyone can be safe and have fun!
It’s Time to Fix the Rules at Cumberland Pool
We’re advocating for simple, cost-free updates to make our community pool safer and more inclusive.
What We're Changing
🦺 Allow USCG-certified swim vests when a parent or guardian is in the water and within arm’s reach.
🏊 Enforce a “touch supervision” rule instead of banning the tools that help kids stay safe and confident.
🛟 Ensure consistency and fairness across age groups — if adults can float, so can preschoolers learning to swim.
Safety for Everyone
Life jackets can make anyone feel safer and more comfortable in the water.
🧓🏽 Seniors: Flotation devices offer safe, low-impact access for older adults who want to stay active without risk.
♿ Special Needs: Children and adults with disabilities, sensory challenges, or autism spectrum conditions may require flotation to participate safely and with dignity.
⚖️ Equitable Access: Not everyone has access a private pool that allow flotation.
🧒🏻 Preschoolers: A critical age for building water confidence when recreating with an adult.
A Positive Catylist for Change
This is just one of many concerns raised by Cleveland Heights families about safety, fun, and access at our public pool.CumberlandPool.com is a community-led effort advocating for simple, no-cost policy updates that can make a difference today.
What Do You Want to Improve?
What Other Pools Are Doing Right
We may be a small community, but we’re not alone and not without guidance. Nearby cities like Lakewood and Beechwood allow Coast Guard-approved life vests with parent supervision.Even the federal government recommends them for weak or non-swimmers. It’s time for Cumberland to follow suit.
Have Five Friends Who Love to Have Fun in the Pool?
Let's make waves, now. Sensible, safe policy shouldn’t wait for next summer, especially when it costs nothing to fix.
Beechwood Family Aquatic Center
• Children wearing lifejackets or a floatation device must be accompanied by an adult.• Floatation devices including rafts, noodles, water wings, tubes, kickboards, balls, etc.
may be limited during busy times.See the Rules at Beechwood Pool
Becks Pool in Lakewood
• US Coast Guard Approved floatation devices (types 2,3, and 5) permitted in shallow sections of the pool. No inflatable flotation devices are permitted.• Toys, snorkel, and masks are not allowed unless part of an organized activity or approved by the Pool Manager. Lifejackets must be U.S. Coast Guard approved.See the Rules at Lakewood Pool
What the Federal Government Says
1) Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. This includes both adults and children.2) Never leave children unattended. Parents are the first line of defense in keeping kids safe in the water. Never leave children unattended near water, not even for a minute. If your child’s in the water, you should be too!3) Wear a life jacket. If you or a family member is a weak or non-swimmer, wear a Coast Guard-approved life vest. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about and many facilities provide them at no charge.Learn more at PoolSafety.gov
Tell Michael: Safety Can't Wait
Cumberland’s new pool manager cares about safety, and so do we.Other communities have already shown what smart, inclusive pool policies look like.Let’s follow their lead. Tell Michael it’s time to allow life jackets now, not next season.
Call or Email Direclty
216-691-7390
[email protected]
“I don’t think we can get this done by this summer.”
That’s what pool manager Michael Siemen told us.We respectfully disagree.Here's why this can, and should, change now:1) Identifying a Coast Guard-approved life vest is easy. They’re labeled clearly. Every lifeguard can learn to spot them in minutes. Here's How.2) Checking for proper fit takes less than 30 seconds. There are four simple steps every lifeguard can follow. See the guide3) The real issue is supervision, not life jackets.
When faced with parents leaving children with life jackets alone in the pool, the policy banned life jackets altogether. That’s backwards. Federal guidelines are clear: If your kid is in the water, you are too
If we can’t fix something as simple as a life jacket policy, how can we tackle anything bigger?
Bureaucracy shouldn’t stand in the way of common-sense safety. We can make the pool safer, more inclusive, and more fun – not next year, but today.