As a competitive swimmer myself for many years, and as a past lifeguard and swim instructor, I really believe in the value of learning how to swim. It is surprising how many people have never learned. It could save your life. So I actually champion schools who offer swimming as part of a gym class. However, that being said, water safety is the number one priority. If the person does not know how to swim, it should be common sense not to force them to dive into the deep end (literally and figuratively).