With High School Pool Out Of Service For Months, Jersey City Swim Teams Can't Swim

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A coach from one of Jersey City's high school swim teams says the local high school pool has been out of service since November, making it hard for three area teams to practice or meet — and now, the season's about to end.

"Right now there's no pool for my kids to swim in," she noted.

Apparently, the pool at Ferris High School has been out of service since November, and coaches and athletic directors haven't gotten a clear answer about when it will be fixed, or even why it's out of service.

The Ferris, Dickinson, and McNair high school teams all use the pool, she said.

Speaking at Thursday night's Jersey City Board of Education meeting, one student said, "The last few meets and championships are just around the corner...We desperately need our pool. Our seniors who have worked diligently for four years deserve to fully experience the enjoyment of having a last meet with their team at their home pool."

Swimming is an important activity for urban kids — both for honing water safety skills and for building community — said two New Jersey-based planning experts in an editorial.

In their 2022 piece in NJ.com, Rutgers Associate Professor Khadijah Costley White and urban planner Devyani Guha said kids need access to pools as a way for "children to learn a life-saving skill and for children of all races and ethnicities to have fun together."

The coach noted that other entities have tried to help out, but haven't filled the void.

"We were able to secure some pool time at NJCU, but they shut the pool down for a month over the holiday and school break," she said, "so short of having two weeks of practice, my kids have had none."

Other Jersey City school pools have been available to them on a limited basis.

Parents and kids attended the Thursday, Jan. 25 school board meeting in Jersey City to speak out. The meeting can be viewed here or on the district's social media channels.

Patch has reached out to the superintendent and Board of Education members to find out why the pool has been out of commission all season, and will update this story if new details are released.