Under NYS Education Law Section 926, school districts must provide parents and guardians with information on safe swimming practices, water safety, and drowning prevention.
Tips for Safe Swimming
Information from the New York State Department of Health
- Always swim with others, never enter the water alone. Keep an eye on each other.
- Always supervise your children around water.
- Stay within arm’s reach of a small child.
- Lifeguards do not replace the need for close supervision by a caregiver.
- If you or your child has a medical condition such as a seizure disorder or heart condition, look out for symptoms that could put them at risk.
- Non-swimmers should avoid water greater than chest deep – even the “shallow end” of a pool is over chest deep for most young children.
- Learn basic swimming and water safety skills.
- If using life jackets remember, they do not take the place of continuous and close adult supervision.
- Use of life jackets and other floatation devices when swimming can give a false sense of security and lead to entering water deeper than one’s comfort level or swimming ability.
- If you use one for swimming, choose a life jacket that is U.S. Coast Guard-approved (I-III label) and properly fitted.
- Air-filled swimming aids, such as water wings and floats, should not be used in place of approved life jackets.
- Avoid drugs and alcohol while swimming. They slow reaction time and impair judgment.
- Never dive into water less than 8-feet deep or of unknown depth or water conditions.
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with rescue breathing, first aid, and calling 911 can save a life and minimize injury.
- Check the weather forecast if swimming outside – avoid inclement weather, wear sunscreen, and be aware of extreme heat or fatigue.
- Keep water safety in mind when boating and always follow safe boating practices, including wearing a life jacket.
Swimming and Your Health
- Avoid swimming in water that is cloudy or discolored.
- Avoid swallowing water while swimming and consider keeping your head and face out of the water.
- Wash your hands after swimming and playing in the sand, especially before eating.
- Don’t pee or poop in the water.
- Stay out of the water if you are sick with diarrhea.
- If you have cryptosporidiosis (“Crypto”), wait two weeks after your diarrhea stops before going back in the water.
- Stay out of the water if you have an open cut or wound.
- Learn more about healthy swimming from CDC.
- Learn more about protecting yourself from Legionella in hot tubs from CDC.
Download the Safe Swimming Tip Card from NYSDOH here.
Drowning Prevention
Information from New York State Department of Health
Drowning can occur anywhere there is water; from lakes and pools to bathtubs and buckets.
Drowning happens quickly and quietly. People often think that if someone is not calling for help that they are not drowning. Remember that when someone is drowning, they are trying to breathe, not speak. It may appear that the person is splashing or waving, but this may be an involuntary response to try to stay afloat. Progression from struggling to drowning can happen in as few as 20 seconds. Any delay in rescue can be fatal.
Who’s at risk?
Each year, hundreds of people in New York State drown or are hospitalized for severe injuries. New York State Department of Health studies show kids and teens have the greatest risk of drowning.
What are the most common causes?
Children
- Lack of adult supervision around water, pools, bathtubs, and buckets of water. This is often at home – drowning can occur in as little as two inches of water.
- Pools that do not have four-sided fencing that isolates a home swimming pool from the house.
- Swimming alone or wandering into water.
- Swimming in public areas where there are no lifeguards.
- Not using approved life jackets while swimming and boating.
Everyone Else
- For older children, teenagers, and adults, drowning occurs most often in natural bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and the ocean.
- Drownings are often associated with boating and other water activities. Almost everyone that drowns while boating is not wearing a life jacket or other personal flotation device.
- Almost half of the people who drown are alone in the water at the time of the incident.
- Of people over age 14, almost half of drownings are associated with alcohol or drug use.
- Drowning is the most common cause of unintentional injury death for people with seizure disorders.
Top Tips to Prevent Drowning
- Adults should always supervise children around water, pools, bathtubs, and buckets or pails of water.
- Pools should have four-sided fencing that restricts access to a swimming pool from the house.
- Children should never swim alone or be left near water unattended.
- Everyone should swim in public areas with a lifeguard.
- Choose a life jacket that is U.S. Coast Guard-approved and properly fitted when using one for swimming, boating, or other water recreation. Life jackets should never replace adult supervision.
Swimming Pools
Pools at Home
Young children should always be supervised by an adult when in and around a pool. No matter the age, an adult should be home when the pool is in use. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death among children ages 5-14. Every private pool should be surrounded by a four-sided fence. Pool alarms and pool covers should not be used in place of a four-sided fence. If a child were to fall into the pool, they could get trapped underneath the cover.
Public Pools
New York State has a law that requires all public swimming pools built after March 30, 1998, must be enclosed within a fence or other barrier which is at least four feet high and can be entered by bathers only through self-closing and positive self-latching doors or gates.
Take Steps to Prevent Drowning
- Always supervise young children while in a bathtub and never leave an older child alone to supervise them. Children can drown in as little as two inches of water.
- Make sure that toilet seat covers are left down and pails or buckets of water are emptied as soon as possible and not left unattended.
- Avoid risky behaviors such as drinking alcohol or rough play while supervising or engaging in swimming, boating, or other water activities. Engaging in risky behaviors may lead to drownings or near drowning injuries.
- Be aware and share information that open waters, such as lakes, rivers, and oceans can pose additional hazards to swimmers. These waters have currents, rocks, and uneven surfaces.
- Make sure your child or teen never swims alone.
- Teach your child or teen how to swim. Lack of swimming abilities puts them more at risk of injuries and drowning. However, knowing how to swim alone does not prevent drowning.
- Drowning is the most common cause of unintentional injury death for people with seizure health conditions. If your child or teen has a seizure disorder, heart condition, or other medical condition make sure they are adequately supervised and adjust activities based on the advice of their medical provider.
- Avoid swimming in cold water. Swimming in water that is 70 degrees Fahrenheit or lower increases the risk of drowning due to hypothermia, which is a dangerous medical condition that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it, causing a dangerously low body temperature. The lower the water temperature, the quicker people may be at risk of hypothermia.
Additional Water Safety Advice
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with rescue breathing, first aid, and calling 911 can save a life and minimize injury. Do not use the Heimlich Maneuver (abdominal thrust) because it can induce vomiting and choking.
- Life jackets should be Coast Guard approved and should not take the place of adult supervision. Air-filled swimming aids, such as water wings and floats, should not be used in place of approved personal floatation devices.