HJ0067LRB099 12063 GRL 34714 r

1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Illinois' beautiful lakes and rivers and its
3indoor and outdoor swimming pools are enjoyed by many for
4recreation all year round; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Water safety is a high priority for children and
6adults swimming in pools, lakes, rivers, oceans, and other
7bodies of water; and
 
8    WHEREAS, There are several conditions that make water
9activities dangerous; thus, adhering to safe water practices
10will help prepare children and parents for water activities and
11will help prevent devastating incidents related to water
12dangers; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Survella Chapman, age 11, and Brysom Dillon, age
143, from Danville died from separate drowning incidents in 2013;
15and
 
16    WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
17Prevention, there was an average of 10 unintentional drowning
18deaths per day from 2005 to 2009 in the United States; one in 5
19people who die from drowning are children under the age of 14,
20and drowning is responsible for more deaths among children ages
21one in 4 than any other cause except congenital anomalies; and
 

 

 

HJ0067- 2 -LRB099 12063 GRL 34714 r

1    WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
2Prevention, the main factors that affect drowning risk are lack
3of swimming ability, lack of barriers to prevent unsupervised
4water access, lack of close supervision while swimming,
5different water settings, the failure to wear life jackets,
6alcohol use, and seizure disorders; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Students in the Future Problem Solvers Club of
8North Ridge Middle School in Danville developed a comprehensive
9water safety curriculum with the goal of educating their
10community about basic water safety and swimming smarts in
11public places and at home; in turn, educating the community on
12the importance of water safety equips children and parents with
13life-saving information; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The curriculum includes 8 lessons that empower
15students to identify and demonstrate the 6 water safety tips
16through various games and activities, which are to be
17weather-wise, stay with a buddy, know how and when to use a
18life jacket, only swim in areas with lifeguards, enter all
19water feet first, and obey all safety and warning signs; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Future Problem Solvers Club teaches young
21people how to work together cooperatively and creatively as
22they attack community problems; educating the public on water

 

 

HJ0067- 3 -LRB099 12063 GRL 34714 r

1safety dangers and practices is a passion of the hard-working
2students in the club; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The dedicated students of the Future Problem
4Solvers Club are Peyton Blodgett, Kaleb Medina, Erica Sadler,
5Makayla Smith, Audrey Talbott, Rebekah Wall, Abby Neal, Hope
6Ritchie, Delsie Robinson, Jolene Blodgett, Xitlally Bonilla,
7Brendan Burke, Micah Cherry, Taylor Fowler, and Sarah Swayze;
8their teacher supervisor is Lori Woods; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
11SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge School District 118 and
12all other school districts in the State of Illinois to consider
13adopting the water safety curriculum developed by the students
14in the Future Problem Solvers Club of North Ridge Middle
15School; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That we commend the students of the Future
17Problem Solvers Club for taking the initiative to educate the
18public on water safety dangers and practices; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20presented to the students of the Future Problem Solvers Club of
21North Ridge Middle School and School District 118 in Illinois
22as an expression of our gratitude for the students' hard work.