“Many of our communities are around waterways, many of our children will try to enjoy different areas around pools and splash parks, and it is our obligation as adults to be able to provide them with the safest opportunities as possible.” “This bill is a step, a huge step in being able to have a solution to this public health crisis,” said Askew. If the bill passes, local boards of education would have to implement the course beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. “Often I think we forget about the older kids, assuming they got something when they were younger, but many don’t.” “We start seeing teen boys drowning at higher rates around those grades, so it’s an important and intervention piece,” he said. William Ramos, member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council, said that one unique thing about HB1105 is that it targets high-school-aged children, while typically this type of legislation is targeted at younger kids. “It is important to our community that has been underrepresented and has been underserved for far too long in order to be able to bring quality swimming opportunities to our communities in Maryland, as well as to continue to promote water safety and drowning prevention,” said Nicholas Askew, head coach and director of Swimming and Diving at Howard University, in testimony on the bill before the House Ways and Means Committee March 8.ĭr. Having a program that teaches teenagers swimming and water safety skills increases the opportunities for them to be a part of a competitive swim team. The delegate also said she would like to see more competitive swimming programs lead to recruitments to colleges and universities. The idea has the added benefit of possible lifeguarding jobs down the road for students successfully completing the course. “I drafted the bill to say that you can use (it) as a physical education credit, and having it during middle school and high school, they actually get credit for physical education,” said Toles. The bill suggests public middle or high schools offering this course partner with a local parks and recreation agency to connect them with the pool and facilities needed in order to successfully teach it. In children aged 10-14, Black children drown at 7.6 times the rate that white children do in swimming pools. Toles also noted that many Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Howard and Hampton made sure kids knew how to swim before they could graduate, which is something she took into consideration when coming up with the bill.Īccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 17 and below.
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