HJ0067 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0067 LRB099 12063 GRL 34714 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois' beautiful lakes and rivers and its indoor and outdoor swimming pools are enjoyed by many for recreation all year round; and

WHEREAS, Water safety is a high priority for children and adults swimming in pools, lakes, rivers, oceans, and other bodies of water; and

WHEREAS, There are several conditions that make water activities dangerous; thus, adhering to safe water practices will help prepare children and parents for water activities and will help prevent devastating incidents related to water dangers; and

WHEREAS, Survella Chapman, age 11, and Brysom Dillon, age 3, from Danville died from separate drowning incidents in 2013; and

WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was an average of 10 unintentional drowning deaths per day from 2005 to 2009 in the United States; one in 5 people who die from drowning are children under the age of 14, and drowning is responsible for more deaths among children ages one in 4 than any other cause except congenital anomalies; and

WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main factors that affect drowning risk are lack of swimming ability, lack of barriers to prevent unsupervised water access, lack of close supervision while swimming, different water settings, the failure to wear life jackets, alcohol use, and seizure disorders; and

WHEREAS, Students in the Future Problem Solvers Club of North Ridge Middle School in Danville developed a comprehensive water safety curriculum with the goal of educating their community about basic water safety and swimming smarts in public places and at home; in turn, educating the community on the importance of water safety equips children and parents with life-saving information; and

WHEREAS, The curriculum includes 8 lessons that empower students to identify and demonstrate the 6 water safety tips through various games and activities, which are to be weather-wise, stay with a buddy, know how and when to use a life jacket, only swim in areas with lifeguards, enter all water feet first, and obey all safety and warning signs; and

WHEREAS, The Future Problem Solvers Club teaches young people how to work together cooperatively and creatively as they attack community problems; educating the public on water safety dangers and practices is a passion of the hard-working students in the club; and

WHEREAS, The dedicated students of the Future Problem Solvers Club are Peyton Blodgett, Kaleb Medina, Erica Sadler, Makayla Smith, Audrey Talbott, Rebekah Wall, Abby Neal, Hope Ritchie, Delsie Robinson, Jolene Blodgett, Xitlally Bonilla, Brendan Burke, Micah Cherry, Taylor Fowler, and Sarah Swayze; their teacher supervisor is Lori Woods; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge School District 118 and all other school districts in the State of Illinois to consider adopting the water safety curriculum developed by the students in the Future Problem Solvers Club of North Ridge Middle School; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend the students of the Future Problem Solvers Club for taking the initiative to educate the public on water safety dangers and practices; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the students of the Future Problem Solvers Club of North Ridge Middle School and School District 118 in Illinois as an expression of our gratitude for the students' hard work.