There's a big push in Clearwater to teach kids to swim before summer break.
500 kids from Belleair Elementary School are trading in their PE class for the pool. The principal was stunned to find out many of the kids at her school don't know how to swim, so the school teamed up with the Ross Norton Recreation Center to give the students a crash course.
Shaun Beasley the Clearwater Recreation Coordinator explained, “A lot of the kids actually learn to swim in this two week period which is pretty powerful. We can't really measure how many lives we save teaching swim lessons but we know we are impacting the statistic of drowning being one of the leading reason kids die in the state of Florida."
Florida is one of the most dangerous states for kids because we are surrounded by pools and lakes.
The Pinellas County School District is looking at having more schools partner with local recreation centers to get kids into lessons.
Certified members at the recreation center are teaching students about water safety from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This is important since one of the leading causes of death for children 1 to 5 years-old in Florida is drowning. This helps these young children learn the importance of staying safe around the water and learn to swim.
