Students to receive CPR training

-Photo: Courtesy American Heart Association

By Tami Stevenson

With a unanimous vote by the House and Senate and Governor DeSantis signing the bill (HB 157) the same day it landed on his desk, along with 43 other bills he signed that day, CPR and first aid training for students will be taught in public schools. This measure will potentially save countless lives with a perpetual army of young people being equipped with this instruction each year.

The bill requires school districts to provide basic training in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction, for public school students in grades 9 and 11. The bill encourages school districts to provide basic first aid training, including CPR instruction, to students in grades 6 and 8.

The bill provides that the CPR training must be based on a one-hour nationally recognized program that uses the most current evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines.

The instruction must allow students to practice the psychomotor skills associated with performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use an automated external defibrillator when a school district has the equipment necessary to perform the instruction. Private and public partnerships for providing training or necessary funding are encouraged.
The bill was approved by the Governor on June 21, 2021 and will take effect July 1, 2021.