LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) – Every year nearly 4,000 children die from drowning in the U.S. One Laredo school district is launching a new initiative to reduce this wave of statistics.
David Herrera is one of the dozens of second graders that is making a splash at the aquatic center to learn more about water safety.
David says he learned how to doggy paddle and what to do to prevent yourself from drowning.
UISD Aquatics Coordinator Sam Fruia says these classes will be of great help.
Fruia says it’s essential because if they would have the fundamentals of how to swim, then they will also have the fundamentals on how to be safe in the water which is the focus of the program.
UISD is going to continue to provide the children with the basic skills that they need so they can save themselves and even a friend.
Fruia believes drowning is preventable and kids need a program like this to give them the necessary tools to be able to keep their head above water.
Operations officer Yaneli Mendoza says each day of the week they will focus on a different skill.
Mendoza says, the focus of Wednesday’s session was water safety, meaning the kids are learning how to put on their life jackets and how to take them off, how tight it should be and when to use it.”
She says the life vests can save their lives.
Mendoza says, “In the recent years we’ve seen that the death rate for drowning has become higher in swimming pools, lakes, oceans and even here in Laredo we’ve been seeing that we think that it’s very important to not only swim but learn the foundations of swimming which starts with water safety.”
Mendoza says they have been working on this program for over a year and now they have implemented the program into the curriculum.
Children will be taken to the aquatic center for a week and get their feet wet to start swimming.
Some parents opted not to put their children in these classes, instead they were given booklets and watched videos about water safety.
The CDC says drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death among children.
The number one is killed in a car crash.
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