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Committee backs substitute to add water‑safety instruction to health standards

House K–12 Education Subcommittee · February 4, 2026

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Summary

The K–12 subcommittee approved a substitute for HB705 directing the Board of Education to include water‑safety instruction in its revision of Health Standards of Learning; advocates and districts cited drowning prevention and local partnerships.

Delegate Hayes presented a substitute for HB705 that would require the Board of Education to include water‑safety programming in the next regularly scheduled revision of the Health Standards of Learning. The patron said the change responds to frequent proximity to water in parts of Virginia and a lack of uniform water‑safety instruction in elementary grades.

Matthew Stanley of Richmond City Public Schools testified that Richmond already partners locally (Swim RVA, YMCA) to provide swimming instruction and supports the bill. Lauren Schmidt of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics said the group "wholeheartedly supports" including water safety, citing public‑health benefits.

The subcommittee approved the substitute (reported 9–1) and passed it on to the next stage for consideration of funding and implementation details.

What’s next: The bill moves forward as a section‑1 substitute, and the Board of Education will be the lead for standards revision if the bill advances.