§ 16-40-8 — Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

(a) Each local board of education that operates a public school with grades nine through 12 shall include instruction in both of the following as a requirement within existing health education courses:
(1)
Techniques
of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR).
(2) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
(b) The State
Board
of Education shall administer the CPR instruction program and be responsible for the training of personnel, and shall provide proper CPR training for teacher personnel
.
(1) CPR training programs for instructors shall continue
in order
to provide for refresher courses and
updates about
new techniques and information
, as determined by the board
. Specific personnel within local school districts are required to receive training and be certified prior to providing classroom instruction.
(2)
Teaching materials and training courses provided by the American Heart Association and similar organizations may be utilized.
(c) All
individuals
providing instruction in
CPR
shall be certified as CPR instructors by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.
(d)
(1)
Standards utilized in the instruction
required by subsection (a)
shall be those prescribed by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.
(2) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the instruction required by subsection (a) shall include the psychomotor skills necessary to perform CPR and use an AED. For the purposes of this section, the term “psychomotor skills” means the use of hands-on practicing to support cognitive learning. This term does not include cognitive-only training.
(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require students to become certified in CPR or the use of an AED.
(e) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to implement this Section.

Legislative History

(Acts 1983, No. 83-510, p. 719, §§1-4; Act 2024-114, §2.)