FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County Public Schools is launching a division-wide water safety initiative that will provide swimming lessons to elementary students and help high schoolers earn lifeguard certifications.
The new program, called Water S.A.F.E. FCPS (Safe Aquatic Future and Education), will teach students how to recognize water hazards, prevent drowning and respond to emergencies. Two Olympic swimming medalists recently visited Fairfax County schools to help introduce the initiative.
Under the program, students in grades 3 through 5 will receive water safety instruction during health and physical education classes using the American Red Cross W.H.A.L.E. Tales curriculum.
The district also plans to test two hands-on swimming lesson programs.
Third graders from three elementary schools will participate in an eight-week learn-to-swim program at Fairfax County Park Authority recreation centers. Elementary students from six schools that feed into Skyview High School will receive similar instruction at the high school's pool.
Certified instructors will teach swimming techniques, water safety and how to make safe decisions around pools and other bodies of water.
High school students will also have opportunities to earn certifications through an Advanced Swim and Lifeguarding Academy course at Skyview High School.
Students in grades 10 through 12 from Skyview, Justice High School and Lake Braddock Secondary School will participate during the 2026-27 school year.
In the spring, participating high schoolers will help teach water safety to younger students during field trips, working alongside trained instructors.
"When we talk about water safety, it's not only in the classroom, not only at the pool, but also training our next generation of lifeguards and water-safety ambassadors to give back to the community," said Miriam Lynch, who leads the initiative.
Lynch is a systems of support adviser at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and a volunteer swimming and diving coach at Howard University.
Olympic swimming medalists Maritza McClendon and Cullen Jones visited several Fairfax County schools Oct. 9 and 13 to promote the program and share their experiences.
McClendon won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, becoming the first Black woman to compete on a U.S. Olympic swimming team and win an Olympic medal.
Jones won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and silver at the 2012 London Olympics. He also became the first Black man to hold a world record in swimming.
Jones, who nearly drowned at a water park as a child, emphasized the importance of teaching children how to stay safe around water.
"It is our duty as adults, as guardians, as parents, to make sure that children around water are as safe as possible," Jones said.
The Olympians visited Riverside, Mount Vernon Woods, Woodlawn, and Cherry Run elementary schools, as well as Hayfield Secondary School and Thomas Jefferson High School.
The tour concluded with a Water Safety Festival at Skyview High School, where students practiced CPR, learned about life jackets and boating safety, and explored ways to help someone struggling in the water without putting themselves at risk.
According to the American Red Cross, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 4 and the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death among children ages 5 to 14.
FCPS said the initiative is designed to give students practical skills that can help prevent drowning and prepare older students to serve as lifeguards and water safety instructors.
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