For the first time since 2019, School District U-46 plans to offer swimming classes at all five of its high schools beyond just lifeguard training.
“The new course being planned for the 2024-2025 school year is designed for beginning to intermediate swimmers,” U-46 Communications and Media Relations Coordinator Tara Burghart said.
The introduction to swimming elective will teach technical skills, aquatic safety and fitness, and aquatic sports.
Open to students in grades 9 through 12 at each of the district’s five high schools, the goal is for each high school to have two sections with 24 students each per school for a total of 240 students participating, Burghart said.
Launching the course will cost about $75,300, according to documents presented at the U-46 School Board meeting Monday.
More than $55,000 will be spent on purchasing items that will be used for multiple years, including life vests, kickboards, swim fins, water weights, water polo goals and water basketball hoops, documents showed. The bulk of the rest will go to teacher training and development.
District officials opted to replace swimming as a mandated class for all freshmen after the 2018-19 academic year, when a lifeguard certification and leadership course was introduced as one of several new elective physical education options, Burghart said.
Bringing it back is acknowledgment that swimming is not just for lifeguard training but a lifelong, low-impact cardiovascular activity, board members were told. Beyond that, it ensures that those who want to learn to swim have access to a program and it maximizes the use of district facilities during the school day.
The board is expected to vote on the plan Feb. 5.
All five district pools currently are used for lifeguard training classes, after-school IHSA swim teams, the Blue Stars Special Olympics team, and community swimming programs and travel teams, which rent facilities for programs, Burghart said.
Elgin, Larkin and South Elgin high schools have swim teams and Bartlett and Streamwood high schools compete together as the “Sabrehawks.” All told, about 130 students are part of district swim teams, Burghart said.
The current district cost to operate all five swimming pools ranges from $312,000 to $422,000 per year, she said.
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Adding swimming back into the curriculum provides one more election from which students can choose to complete their physical education requirements.
“Freshmen, for instance, can choose between PE classes that focus on functional fitness, strength and performance, team sports officiating and coaching, and walking for wellness,” Burghart said.
One thing students who enroll in the new swimming class won’t need to worry about is wearing a uniform swimsuit. U-46 hasn’t had a district-required swimsuit since at least 1991, she said.
This also means students can choose attire that meets their own comfort level, cultural preferences and other concerns, Burghart said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.