Bill > S3589

Introduced Session

This bill requires each school district to incorporate instruction on water safety into the health education curriculum for students in grades K through 12 as part of the district's implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, beginning with the 2018-2019 school year. The instruction must provide information on: the proper use of flotation devices; how to become aware of water conditions; the danger of rip currents and how to respond if caught in one; and the importance of swimming in areas monitored by a lifeguard. Drownings are the fifth leading cause of accidental death in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control. While New Jersey students participate in drills for fire and active shooter crises, they do not receive instruction on what to do if you are drowning or see someone drowning. It is the sponsor's intent that the passage of this bill will honor the young lives of 13-year-old Mitzi Hernandez Nicolas and 12-year-old Emily Gonzalez Perez, cousins who tragically drowned while swimming at a Belmar beach on June 15, 2017.

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Bob Singer (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee (on 12/04/2017)

Official Document