Official: Mom Not ‘Ordered’ To Move

Monique Cotton , of the Spokane Parks & Recreation Division took issue with a headline in Huckleberries Online today that said a breast-feeding mother was “ordered” to continue feeding her child in a nearby city pool restroom:

I read your blog post with the title: Breast-Feeding Mom Ordered To Relocate http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2015/jul/20/breast-feeding-mom-told-move/ . I wanted to follow up with you about the title of the article, which is inaccurate.  No one was ever “ordered to relocate”. Here is a synopsis of what occurred and how we worked quickly to address the concern:

• Last week a young staff member approached a breast-feeding mother and offered a family bathroom area for her to use for breastfeeding. She declined and asked for a manager. A manager at the pool quickly followed up with the mom and told her it was perfectly ok for her to breastfeed at the pool.
• As soon as Parks and Recreation was aware of the citizen concern (about an hour after the incident), our Parks and Recreation Director called the mom directly (who was still at the pool) to determine what had taken place and to follow up with her as promptly as possible.
• Additional training was immediately provided to all pool staff to ensure understanding of appropriate pool conduct and state laws.
• We are committed to providing a safe, comfortable and enjoyable environment at public pools while protecting the rights of all individuals.
• In the days following the initial concern, our Recreation Director has also been in contact with the mom to ensure that she was satisfied with our response.

I would really appreciate it you would correct the title, as the mom was never ordered to leave the pool. Thanks so much, I really appreciate it.