Flurry of State Legislation Considers CPR-AED Provisions for Schools

A report from the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation

Increasingly, state legislators are paying attention to the need for educational institutions to be prepared to treat sudden cardiac arrest when it occurs in school settings. The following is a snapshot of the current status of state legislation related to CPR-AED programs in K-12 schools.

AED Deployment in Schools

Nineteen states in the U.S. now require that at least some schools have automated external defibrillators (AEDs). In some states, AEDs are required in public, but not private schools. In other states, AEDs are required in high schools, but not elementary schools. Some states require AEDs only in schools offering athletics. The states with a mandate of some kind include Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.[1] More…

Some states are now considering legislation to improve medical emergency response programs in school settings by increasing access to AEDs in schools. These include:

• California (AB 2217, AB 939)
• Hawaii (HB 1747, SB 2610)
• Illinois (HB 2998)
• Maryland (HB 812)
• Massachusetts (SB 251, SB 1049)
• Michigan (HB 4272)
• Mississippi (SB 2094)
• New Jersey (AB 1392)
• Pennsylvania (HB 748, HB 974)
• Washington (SB 5232, SB 5428)
• West Virginia (HB 2315).

Some states would further promote AED deployment in schools by establishing grant programs. These include:

• Pennsylvania (SB 606)
• Utah (SB 192)

In addition, some states are considerting expansion of immunity provisions to people who use AEDs in school settings. These include:

• Iowa (HF 461)
• Kentucky (HB 304)
• Missouri (HB 1114)
• New Jersey (AB 1264, AB 1392).

CPR-AED Education in Schools

In 2011, the American Heart Association issued a statement urging state legislatures to make CPR education a requirement for all students before high school graduation and to provide the necessary funds to make this feasible. At that time, 36 states had legislation that encouraged CPR training.[2]

CPR-AED education is now a requirement for high school graduation in some states, including the following: Alabama, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Washington. Many other states are considering legislation that would make CPR-AED education a requirement for high school graduation. These include:

• Georgia (HB 217)
• Illinois (HB 3724, SB 3214)
• Indiana (HB 1202)
• Maine (LD 709, LD 1366)
• Maryland (HB 1366, SB 503)
• Massachusetts (SB 266)
• Michigan (HB 4272)
• Mississippi (HB 432, HB 564, SB 2093)
• New Jersey (AB 2072, SB 235)
• New York (S 6410, A 8232)
• Oklahoma (Study Proposal 13-025)
• South Dakota (SB 145).

In addition, several bills in New York would require teachers to undergo CPR-AED training. These include AB 3147, AB 5510, and SB 1726.

A bill before the Connecticut General Assembly, SB 229, advocates for parents, coaches and staff to be trained to recognize symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest risk such as dizziness and fainting. Similar legislation is being considered in Indiana (HB 1290) and recently passed in Pennsylvania (HB 1610, Act No. 59).

Call to Action

The legislative landscape is ever changing. If you have additional information about CPR-AED legislation in your state related to schools, please contact info [at] sca-aware.org (subject: State%20legislation%20re%20CPR-AED%20programs%20in%20schools) . If you are an advocate promoting CPR-AED legislation in your state, consider using the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation publication, You Can Save a Life at School, which has been used successfully to educate legislators in many states and may be downloaded here. Print copies are also available by contacting info [at] sca-aware.org (subject: Copies%20of%20You%20Can%20Save%20a%20Life%20at%20School) .

Further information on CPR-AED legislation in schools will be presented at the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update, June 3-6 in Las Vegas.

For links to state legislatures, click here.

Mary M. Newman, MS

Special thanks to Philips Healthcare for its assistance in gathering information for this report.