New York Senate Bill S01349

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/9/25
• Refer: 1/9/25
• Engrossed: 5/22/25
• Refer: 5/22/25
• Engrossed: 6/4/25
• Refer: 6/4/25
• Engrossed: 6/12/25
• Refer: 6/12/25
• Engrossed: 6/16/25
• Enrolled: 9/22/25
• Chaptered: 9/26/25
• Passed: 9/26/25

Caption

Requires school districts to provide information regarding water safety to parents or students upon enrollment.

Summary

S01349 would add a new section to the Education Law requiring school districts, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, to provide water safety information when a child is initially enrolled. The notice must be given to a parent or guardian, or directly to the student if the student is 18 or older, or under 21 and enrolling in adult education. The information must explain the importance of water safety education and swimming lessons in preventing drowning and other injuries, and it must include local options for age-appropriate courses and lessons that lead to a completion certificate. The bill also requires districts to include options that are free or offered at reduced cost, and it allows the information to be delivered electronically or in hard copy. It defines “water safety” broadly as age-appropriate education intended to promote safety in, on, and around bodies of water and reduce the risk of fatal and non-fatal drowning. The act would take effect July 1, 2026.

Impact

The bill would amend the New York Education Law by creating a new statutory obligation for school districts to distribute water safety and swimming lesson information at enrollment. It does not mandate instruction, certification, or funding for lessons, but it does require districts to act as a conduit for local program information, including low-cost and free opportunities. The practical effect is to formalize outreach around drowning prevention and swimming access for families and adult students.

Sentiment

The available voting history shows strong bipartisan support and little opposition. The Senate Education Committee approved the bill unanimously, and the full Senate and Assembly passed it by wide margins, with only one recorded no vote on some Senate floor actions and no opposition in the Assembly vote. No committee transcript is available, but the vote pattern suggests the bill was viewed favorably as a public safety and student-information measure.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record. Any potential points of concern would likely involve the administrative burden on school districts to compile and update local water safety and swimming resources, or questions about whether the state should require this type of enrollment notice rather than leaving it to local discretion. However, the near-unanimous votes indicate that such concerns did not generate significant opposition in the legislative process.