Hello all! Thank you so much for being here.
For children and youth, participation in swimming and other aquatic activities can provide incredible health benefits, opportunities to be out of doors and engage socially, bolster development, and enhance the achievement of physical and academic milestones. However, engagement with the water will always present children and youth with the inherent risk to drowning. Therefore, it is essential that we help provide children and youth with ample opportunities to gain the skills and knowledge that can help protect them from drowning and stay safe in, on, and around the water.
This bill seeks to ensure the integration of water safety instruction into the curriculum for every public-school student in Michigan. The goal is to provide students with information that will help them make better decisions in and around water.
If you are willing to support House Bill 4477 please personalize, sign, and send the below letter of support for moving the Bill forward.
Please consider submitting a letter to your representatives, representatives in districts you visit, especially if they have beaches or community pools. etc.
Please copy Speaker of the House Matt Hall ([email protected]) as he ultimately controls the fate of the Bill.
Copy, personalize, Sign & Send the below letter to your representatives, and Speaker of the House Matt Hall ([email protected])
SAMPLE LETTER
Honorable [Senator/Representative NAME]
Michigan [Senate / House]
[Senator/Representative]
[if you are contacting YOUR Representative, consider leading with your name and address, If you are not a constituent but visit the district for water related recreation, consider adding that]
I respectfully request your support of House Bill 4477, a water safety education bill that will save lives. The Bill passed unanimously out of committee, and should be forwarded to the floor as soon as possible.
This bill seeks to ensure the integration of water safety instruction into the curriculum for every public-school student in Michigan. The goal is to provide students with information that will help them make better decisions in and around water.
Drowning remains a pressing public health issue. Drowning is the LEADING cause of death in children 1-5 in the United States. While it can occur in various bodies of water, from lakes and rivers to public pools and backyard swimming pools, children are disproportionately affected.
Those aged 19 and younger account for 22% of drowning fatalities, with nearly 17% occurring among children between the ages of 1-4. In the United States, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children and youth ages 5-14, trailing only motor vehicle accidents.
Each year, over 4,000 people in the U.S. tragically lose their lives to drowning, with more than 8,000 suffering non-fatal drowning injuries. Alarmingly, since 2010, over 1,250 people have drowned in the Great Lakes, with Lake Michigan reporting the highest number of drowning incidents. These figures highlight the critical need for comprehensive water safety education in Michigan schools.
Recent research underscores the gap in water safety education across our state. A statewide representative survey indicates that less than 15% of Michigan schools currently provide water safety education or swimming instruction. However, studies have shown that water safety education and swim training significantly enhance the knowledge and skills necessary to protect children and youth from drowning tragedies.
It is vital that this lifesaving legislation be passed as soon as possible, delaying until next year or beyond will likely result in more unnecessary deaths.
Sincerely,
Here is the link to a story News Channel 3 ran on the bill, featuring Senator Victory: https://wwmt.com/news/local/water-safety-education-bill-michigan-roger-victory-donni-steele-students-curriculum-education-schools-great-lakes-surf-rescue-project-lansing-ingham-county-state
Roger is clear, “The longer we wait, the more tragedies will occur”.