Guilford Residents Upset Over Flotation Device Beach Ordinance

The Guilford Parks and Recreation Department is starting the process to change the language of an ordinance regarding children wearing life vests and other flotation devices at public beaches, the New Haven Register reported.

The ordinance will be reviewed by an attorney next week before presenting it to the Board of Selectmen sometime in the future.

Issue was sparked last month when town resident Victoria Jacobs protested the current policy after her 4-year-old daughter was asked to remove her life vest because of the ordinance, the Register reported.

The ordinance prohibits the use of flotation devices in areas with on-duty lifeguards because the town has found that with the flotation devices, parents are less likely to keep a watchful eye on their children, the Register reported. The devices also affect children’s ability to learn to swim.

If a change to the ordinance is passed, children will be allowed to wear only U.S. Coast Guard-approved flotation devices, and parents must remain in the water with the child while the device is in use, the Register reported. Changes could go into effect as early as August.

Read the full New Haven Register story here.