LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Victory this week introduced legislation to help save kids from drowning by requiring water safety instruction in Michigan schools.
“In honor of National Water Safety Month, I am sponsoring legislation to help save lives. More than 90 people drowned in the Great Lakes last year, and more than half of those happened in Lake Michigan,” said Victory, R-Hudsonville. “Water safety education and swim training have proven to be effective in giving young people the knowledge and skills needed to protect themselves and others from drowning.
“Even though everyone in our state lives less than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes, few schools in Michigan provide water safety education or swimming to their students.”
An average of more than 4,000 people die from drowning in the U.S. each year. In the U.S., drowning is the leading cause of death for children from age 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths among children ages 5 to 14.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, there have been at least 1,331 Great Lakes drownings since 2010. That includes roughly 91 drownings in all the Great Lakes in 2024 and 51 in Lake Michigan alone.
Senate Bill 295 would require water safety instruction for every public school student. The material would be seamlessly integrated into existing courses such as health, physical education or other related subjects as determined by the Michigan Department of Education in consultation with water safety experts.
The bill does not require swimming lessons but would ensure schools provide students with age-appropriate education and understanding of water safety practices and safe swimming conditions.
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