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Committee advances water-safety education pilot after testimony about drowning rates and equity
Summary
HB1234 would fund pilots for aquatic safety education in public schools; committee advanced bill after broad testimony from water-safety advocates, providers and DOE about program design and access barriers.
Lawmakers advanced House Bill 1234 (water-safety education) on Feb. 13 after testimony from the Department of Education, the Hawaii Water Safety Coalition, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association and multiple community groups and providers.
Proponents described statewide drowning data and equity concerns. Lisonbee Schaeffer of the Hawaii Water Safety Coalition said Hawaii has "the second highest rate of drowning in the nation for our residents" and that drowning is "now the leading cause of death for our keiki ages 1 to 15." Testimony stressed that many families cannot afford or access private lessons and that school-based programs would reach more children.
Speakers urged the pilot to include both classroom (cognitive) instruction and hands-on aquatic skills, with pre- and post-assessments to measure outcomes. Kirsten Hermstead of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association recommended adding a classroom component and urged a timeline longer than one calendar year so providers can implement quality programs. Dan Wharton of the Hawaii Water Safety Coalition emphasized 15 aquatic safety competencies (cognitive, motor and situational skills) and said most extracurricular options do not comprehensively address all competencies.
DOE described an in-progress pilot coordinated by a PE specialist and said it can take up to 200 students in Honolulu-area schools within walking distance to existing pools; DOE told the committee the program would begin classroom instruction and schedule pool time while reporting results in a future report. Committee members pressed DOE and community groups on capacity, equity for areas without pools (for example, Oahu’s west side), and potential solutions such as temporary container pools. Testifiers described existing nonprofit and county programs (some free) but noted capacity limits.
After the hearing, committee members voted to pass HB1234 with amendments (defecting the effective date to continue development) and adopted the chair’s recommendation to advance the bill for further work and reporting.
