Greensboro, N.C. – Tonight, the Guilford County Schools Board of Education approved a new policy pertaining to water safety instruction.

Policy 3542 – Access to Water Safety Instruction provides all GCS second-grade students access to the ‘Learn to Swim’ healthy lifestyle program. The program was formed through a partnership between GCS and the Greensboro Aquatic Center and instructs students on water safety skills, which can be potentially lifesaving.

Supporting this program is a priority for the Board due to racial disparities in drowning deaths in the nation. A 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 1999 and 2019, Black and Native American young people were 1.5 to 2 times more likely than white youth to die by unintentional drowning. The disparities increased significantly from 2005 to 2019.

GCS is working with the North Carolina School Boards Association to review and update additional policies.