ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The parents of a 6-year-old boy who drowned at an understaffed pool a year ago have a challenge for St. Louis County Executive Sam Page: Join us.
Travone and Olga Mister want Page to publicly voice his support for their efforts to pass legislation that would regulate summer camps.
“Do you know how far that could go?” asked Travone Mister.
The grieving parents say Page’s endorsement of their efforts would also bring more meaning to the statement he issued Thursday following an $8 million settlement the county reached with them.
Page wrote: “T.J.'s drowning was an absolute tragedy and I hope that today's settlement brings some solace to his family. This was an unimaginable loss."
“Actions speak louder than words,” Olga Mister said.
Page’s spokesman, Doug Moore, told 5 On Your Side in a statement Thursday, “[Page] would certainly meet with the bill sponsor to see what the path is forward.”
State Rep. Michael Burton (D-92nd District) filed a bill this past session, which would have required camps to run background checks on camp employees, have emergency action plans; require CPR training for staff; and require random state inspections for camps with aquatic activities.
The bill didn’t even make it out of the Children and Families Committee chaired by Rep. Hannah Kelly.
Burton told the I-Team in May he plans to refile the bill next session.