LANSING, Mich. — Local leaders are emphasizing water safety as families prepare to spend more time by the water, and a proposed bill would require schools to teach water safety to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
WATCH BELOW: Proposed bill would require water safety lessons for K-8 students
Jenny Thomas frequently takes her granddaughter to the Ingham County Intermediate School District’s playgroups, where children work on language and motor skills.
The groups also include parent education. On Tuesday morning, the lesson focused on water safety as summer approaches.
Parents, grandparents and guardians were educated by leaders with the Ingham County Health Department and learned how to prepare and keep children safe through checklists. The education focused on helping caregivers understand risks and feel confident around water.
The CDC says drowning is the most common unintentional injury death for children ages 1 to 4. The CDC also noted in 2024 that the number is rising.
State Rep. Bonnie Steel is proposing House Bill 4477, which would amend the Revised School Code to require the Department of Education to develop or adopt a model water safety program for students in grades K-8.
Steel said the goal is “to teach in physical education the necessities of water safety.”
Steel said she hopes the bill could help prevent future drownings.
“There’s been 640 lives that have been lost to drownings in Lake Michigan over the last 15 years, that’s just one lake,” Steel said.
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