New York S 9480: Establishes a mandatory statewide, classroom-based water safety education program

Bill Text

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S09480 Summary:

BILL NOS09480 

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SAME ASSAME AS A01080-A

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SPONSORADDABBO

&nbsp

COSPNSRCLEARE

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §804-e, Ed L

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Establishes a mandatory statewide, classroom-based water safety education program; provides that the commissioner of education shall work with New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance certified educators to develop and promulgate a statewide, age-appropriate, classroom-based water safety education guidance document; provides that within twenty-four months of the effective date of the bill, the department of education shall initiate statewide implementation of water safety education; provides that instruction shall be classroom-based and waterless and shall not require student access to aquatic facilities, swimming instruction, or in-water assessment.

Go to top S09480 Actions:

BILL NOS09480 

&nbsp

03/17/2026REFERRED TO EDUCATION

Go to topS09480 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09480 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS09480 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9480

 IN SENATE

 March 17, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Education

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a manda-
 tory statewide, classroom-based water safety education program

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby
 2 finds that:
 3 1. accidental drowning is a leading cause of preventable injury and
 4 death among children and adolescents, and disproportionately impacts
 5 communities with limited access to aquatic education and safety
 6 resources.
 7 2. access to foundational water safety knowledge is a matter of public
 8 health and safety, comparable to fire safety, traffic safety, and emer-
 9 gency preparedness education.
 10 3. longstanding inequities in access to swimming instruction and
 11 aquatic facilities necessitate a classroom-based, waterless approach to
 12 water safety education to ensure universal reach.
 13 4. establishing a state-developed, statewide water safety guidance
 14 document will promote consistency, equity, and accountability across
 15 public schools and early-childhood education settings.
 16 5. time is of the essence with New York state geography and climate
 17 changing, our extensive coastlines, rivers, lakes and increasing expo-
 18 sure to extreme weather and flooding, all New Yorkers across all regions
 19 face evolving water-related risks.
 20 It is therefore the intent of the legislature to require the develop-
 21 ment and implementation of a statewide, age-appropriate, classroom-based
 22 water safety education, integrated into existing educational frameworks,
 23 and delivered equitably to students throughout New York state. This is
 24 essential to scaling proven drowning prevention measures that are
 25 currently inaccessible to children in our most resource-limited neigh-
 26 borhoods.
 27 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to
 28 read as follows:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD02436-03-6

 S. 9480 2

 1 § 804-e. Statewide water safety education program in public schools.
 2 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms
 3 shall have the following meanings:
 4 (a) "water safety education" shall mean age-appropriate instruction
 5 designed to equip students with knowledge and decision-making skills
 6 necessary to recognize situational water-related risks, understand safe
 7 behaviors in and around bodies of water, and respond appropriately in
 8 water-related emergencies.
 9 (b) "classroom-based" or "waterless" shall mean instruction delivered
 10 without requiring student access to swimming pools, aquatic facilities,
 11 or in-water participation.
 12 (c) "early-childhood education settings" shall mean licensed or regis-
 13 tered childcare programs, pre-kindergarten programs, and other early-
 14 learning environments regulated by the state.
 15