Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator ANTHONY M. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Commissioner of Education to develop educational fact sheet on water safety for public and nonpublic schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning water safety information for parents and guardians and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Education shall develop an educational fact sheet on water safety. The fact sheet shall include information on:
(1) how parents and guardians can reduce their child’s risk of injury or drowning while in, on, and around bodies of water;
(2) the important role water safety education courses and swimming lessons play in saving lives; and
(3) locations in each county of the State where age-appropriate water safety courses and swimming lessons are offered, including courses and lessons that are offered for free or at reduced prices.
In developing the fact sheet pursuant to this subsection, the commissioner shall consult with, and utilize resources produced by, water safety organizations such as the American Red Cross, the New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance, or other similar organizations.
b. A school district shall distribute the fact sheet to parents and guardians who initially enroll their child in school in a manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Education.
c. The Commissioner of Education shall make the educational fact sheet available to nonpublic schools. Nonpublic schools are encouraged, but not required, to distribute the fact sheet to parents and guardians who initially enroll their child in the school.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following enactment except that the Commissioner of Education may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the timely implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Education in consultation with water safety organizations such as the American Red Cross, the New Jersey Swim Safety Alliance, or other similar organizations to develop an educational fact sheet on water safety for public and nonpublic schools. The commissioner would also be required to utilize any resources produced by water safety organizations in creating the fact sheet. The fact sheet would include information on:
· how parents and guardians can reduce their child’s risk of injury or drowning while in, on, and around bodies of water;
· the important role water safety education courses and swimming lessons play in saving lives; and
· locations in each county of the State where age-appropriate water safety courses and swimming lessons are offered, including courses and lessons that are offered for free or at reduced prices.
A school district would distribute the fact sheet to parents and guardians who initially enroll their child in school in a manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner of Education would also be required to make the educational fact sheet available to nonpublic schools which would be encouraged, but not required, to distribute the fact sheet to parents and guardians who initially enroll their child in the school.