Policies

Below are our policies for all swimmers and participants in our lessons, events, and programs.

Cancellations

We appreciate advance notice for cancellations, so we can fill open spots with drop-in swimmers. This keeps our instructors happy and busy doing what they do best – teaching! All cancellations must be submitted online. To navigate from the homepage, click the green “Scheduling” menu and select “Cancel A Lesson.” This will create a time-stamped record and help us cut down on human error.

With 48 hours notice, we can credit your account for the lesson price. (Over 2 waived lessons in a month, will need to be approved by our Office Manager).

With 24 hours notice, we can schedule a make-up lesson.

No-shows: If you skip a lesson without telling us, this is considered a no-show and we will contact you to inquire if you still wish to continue. If you no-show to two consecutive lessons and do not respond to our inquiry, you will be removed from the calendar.

Make-ups cannot be at your regular swim time. You must have a make-up scheduled within two weeks of the canceled lesson (the lesson doesn’t have to take place within two weeks, but you must be in communication with the office about scheduling within two weeks). Cancellation policy applies to make-up lessons.

Exceptions: We do make exceptions for medical emergencies. If you can provide a doctor’s note, pharmacy receipt, or some other confirmation of a medical appointment we will be happy to give you a credit or make-up.

Late arrival: If you arrive late to a lesson, you are welcome to use the remaining time. At 15 minutes past lesson start-time, instructors are allowed to leave the pool before their next class, so they may be in the breakroom and need to be notified by an office worker that you have arrived. We do not issue credits, refunds, or make-ups for time lost due to late arrivals. 

Semi-private cancellations: Price per swimmer will adjust according to the cancellation policy. For example, if your semi-private lesson partner cancels with 48hrs notice they can be credited while you will owe more for that lesson (unless you also cancel with 48hrs notice). Our office does not facilitate communication between Semi-private or Buddy families, so please keep your partner(s) informed of cancellations. If you need to do a make-up for a cancellation and your partner(s) do not join you, you will need to pay the difference to cover the make-up as a private lesson.

Drop-in lessons: are not eligible for make-ups, credits, or refunds regardless of notice given.

Billing
If you are enrolled in a regular weekly lesson, we will bill you by the month with payment due at the first lesson of each month. Invoices are issued a week before they’re due and sent to clients’ emails as provided in registration forms. If you do not receive an invoice, it is your responsibility to contact us to request one and to pay. If you would prefer to pay week-to-week, simply let the office know and we will put a note on your account.

If you are signing up for a Drop-in, “Trial” lesson, Clinic, Winter/Spring Break lesson, or Special Event, payment must be made in advance to reserve your spot.

Payments

We accept exact cash, checks, and credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Discover, & American Express).

  • We cannot keep credit/debit card information on file
  • You must actively pay your invoices each month
  • Returned checks are subject to a $25 fee
Late fees
We offer a grace period until the 10th. This applies even if you cancel your first lesson of the month and won’t be at the school until after the 10th. Payments can be made remotely over the phone or online. If no payment has been made by the end of business hours on the 10th, a $15 late fee will be applied to your bill. If you need to pay late due to unusual circumstances, please notify the office prior to the 10th confirming your intent to pay, and we will waive the late fee once your payment is posted. Please note only one late fee will be waived per calendar year.
Leaving lessons

When you are ready to discontinue your regular weekly spot, you must fill out an online exit form to confirm your intent to give up the spot. We cannot officially remove you from the schedule until the online exit form is submitted. Each family in a semi-private lesson must submit a separate form.

The regular advance-notice cancellation policy applies to lessons missed due to exiting the program. You will be billed for the lesson if your exit form gives less than 48 hours notice that you will not attend it. We cannot backdate exit forms.

Substitute instructors
It is our goal for you to consistently have the same instructor each week, but sometimes a substitute will be needed. If we provide you a substitute at the same time and location as your regular lesson, we cannot credit/reschedule your lessons without the proper amount of notice.
30-minute limit

All lessons and classes are 30 minutes, and back-to-back lessons are not allowed. We have found that a 30-minute lesson suits youth and adult participants the best. After 30 minutes, lessons lose productivity due to fatigue and decreased focus. Remember, you will work much harder one-on-one with an instructor than you would in a large group class! A full hour is just too long. If you like, you can schedule 2 lessons in a single day, as long as there is an hour break in between.

Multi-month payments
As a thank you to customers who commit to continued lessons with us by paying for multiple months in advance, we offer 5 to 15% off lesson costs. Please note that payments for multiple months are not eligible for refunds. Such payments can be saved as credit on your account toward future lessons or used to purchase a gift certificate which you may give/sell to someone else.
Refunds
Please allow 90 days for us to process refund requests. Refunds are paper checks sent to the mailing address provided by you. If you need your refund sent to a different address, please notify us when requesting your refund.
Policy Changes

We reserve the right to add, update, or change policies at any time. In the event of a policy change, we will notify you in print and/or via an e-notification.

Pool safety & etiquette
Please be courteous and respectful to our staff, other swimmers, and facilities. We ask that all swimmers (including babies and toddlers) sit and wait until their teacher explicitly invites them into the pool. This means:

  • No standing by the water’s edge,
  • No dangling feet in the water,
  • No crowding around the pool handrail,
  • No playing with the pool equipment.

This teaches young swimmers that a pool is never to be approached carelessly or without adult permission.

Running and jumping is strictly prohibited on the pooldeck and in bathrooms. If an instructor sees unsafe or harmful behavior, they may require a swimmer to retrace their steps at a walking pace, deduct playtime from their lesson, or even dismiss them from the pool for 1–3 minutes of “time out” before continuing the lesson. Our instructors have the authority to dismiss a lesson early for dangerous or combative behavior such as hitting, kicking, biting, or throwing objects.

Swimmers should rinse off in the shower before entering the pool. This is important to avoid spreading germs. Please observe this policy and help keep your teacher healthy!

Changing rooms
Children ages 5 years and under are allowed in the opposite-sex changing rooms. For the comfort of our customers and instructors, please do not bring children age 6 years and older into the opposite-sex changing room. A family changing stall is available at the Beaverton location, and the PDX location has 2 family changing rooms.
Lost & Found

FSS is not responsible for lost or damaged items. Due to the high volume of items left at our pools, items unclaimed after one month are donated to a local charity.

Inclement weather

If we cancel swim lessons due to weather, participants affected will be given a 75% credit. Participants are welcome to sign up for a make-up lesson at another time for this canceled lesson, thus retaining the full value.

If we remain open and you *decide not to attend, no credits or make-ups are issued for cancellations outside of our standard 24- and 48-hour cancellation policy.

*If you are especially cautious about wintry weather or live in an elevated/hilly neighborhood that gets icier than the Beaverton school district area, please keep an eye on the weather forecast so you can cancel in advance if needed. We recommend erring on the side of cancelling early, as we cannot credit you on short notice if we remain open.