Florida Senate - 2021                              CS for SB 358
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Education; and Senators Berman, Book, and
       Perry
       
       
       
       
       581-03559-21                                           2021358c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to water safety and swimming
    3         certification for K-12 students; providing a short
    4         title; creating s. 1003.225, F.S.; defining the term
    5         “water safety”; requiring public schools to provide
    6         specified information to certain parents or students;
    7         providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Edna Mae McGovern
   12  Act.”
   13         Section 2. Section 1003.225, Florida Statutes, is created
   14  to read:
   15         1003.225 Water safety and swimming certification.—
   16         (1) For the purposes of this section, the term “water
   17  safety” means age-appropriate education intended to promote
   18  safety in, on, and around bodies of water and reduce the risk of
   19  injury or drowning.
   20         (2) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, each public
   21  school shall provide, to a parent who initially enrolls his or
   22  her child in the school, information on the important role water
   23  safety education courses and swimming lessons play in saving
   24  lives. The information must be provided electronically or in
   25  hardcopy and must include local options for age-appropriate
   26  water safety courses and swimming lessons that result in a
   27  certificate indicating successful completion, including courses
   28  and lessons offered for free or at a reduced price. If the
   29  student is 18 years of age or older, or is under the age of 21
   30  and is enrolling in adult education classes, the information
   31  must be provided to the student.
   32         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.