HB 73 Public Schools - Water Safety and Swimming Course - Established

BILL: HB 73

TITLE: Public Schools - Water Safety and Swimming Course - Established

DATE: February 25, 2026

POSITION: Unfavorable

COMMITTEE: House Ways & Means Committees

CONTACT: Mary Pat Fannon, Executive Director, PSSAM

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The Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland (PSSAM), on behalf of all twenty-four public school superintendents, opposes House Bill 73.

This bill requires the State Board of Education to develop water safety instructional content by July 1, 2027, and county boards of education to implement it during the 2027-2028 school year in grades K-8. The content must (1) be integrated into the health or physical education curriculum; (2) be age-appropriate for students in elementary, middle, and high school; (3) offered at least once in elementary, middle, and high school; and (4) include opportunities for students with disabilities, if practicable.

Local superintendents recognize the importance of water safety for the health and well-being of Maryland’s students. PSSAM’s opposition to this bill is not based on the merits of teaching water safety, but rather opposition to statutorily mandating content and curriculum standards. PSSAM has a longstanding policy of resisting efforts to codify curriculum standards, assessments, or graduation requirements and believes the role of instructional mandates and implementation belongs to local boards of education in conjunction with MSDE.

The Maryland General Assembly, in creating the MSDE and local boards of education, has delegated to these entities the responsibility of delivering a high-quality statewide system of public education. The State Board establishes State content frameworks, state assessment standards, and minimum state graduation requirements, while each local board and school system implements locally-developed curriculum to ensure that the state content frameworks are followed, student performance standards are met, and students are prepared to meet graduation requirements.

For these reasons, PSSAM opposes House Bill 73 and requests an unfavorable report.