Florida Senate - 2023 SB 1544
By Senator Avila
39-00569G-23 20231544__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to cardiac and medical emergencies on
3 school grounds; creating s. 1003.457, F.S.;
4 encouraging each public school to have at least one
5 automated external defibrillator on school grounds;
6 providing requirements for such defibrillators;
7 requiring schools to have a sufficient number of
8 defibrillators; encouraging schools to establish
9 public or private partnerships with hospitals, medical
10 centers, health organizations, and local businesses or
11 seek gifts, grants, and other donations for specified
12 purposes; requiring each school to establish an
13 emergency action plan for specified purposes;
14 providing requirements for such plan; requiring each
15 school to provide certain information to students,
16 parents, and school employees; requiring that such
17 information be provided electronically for certain
18 students; providing immunity from liability under the
19 Good Samaritan Act and the Cardiac Arrest Survival
20 Act; requiring school districts to make certain
21 training available annually to all school employees;
22 providing school and school district reporting
23 requirements; providing an effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Section 1003.457, Florida Statutes, is created
28 to read:
29 1003.457 Automated external defibrillators on school
30 grounds; emergency action plan; provision of information.—
31 (1) In addition to the requirements of s. 1006.165, each
32 public school, including each charter school, shall strive to
33 have at least one operational automated external defibrillator
34 on school grounds. Each defibrillator must be stored in a
35 location that is easily accessible to anyone at any time during
36 the school day, during afterschool activities, and at any other
37 time students are on school grounds, including outside of the
38 school year. Each defibrillator must have appropriate
39 accompanying signage, including, but not limited to, signage at
40 the defibrillator’s exact location and signage that directs
41 responders to the building or room where the defibrillator is
42 routinely kept. Each defibrillator and its accompanying pads,
43 including pediatric pads, and rescue kit must be maintained
44 according to the manufacturer’s instructions and kept in usable
45 condition. Each school must have a sufficient number of
46 defibrillators to allow a person to retrieve a defibrillator
47 within 3 minutes after a cardiac or medical emergency in which
48 the use of a defibrillator is needed anywhere on school grounds
49 during a school day or during afterschool activities. Each
50 school is encouraged to form public and private partnerships
51 with hospitals, medical centers, health organizations, and local
52 businesses, or seek grants, gifts, and other donations, to cover
53 the costs associated with purchase, placement, and training in
54 the use of the defibrillator.
55 (2) Each school shall create an emergency action plan for
56 responding to cardiac and medical emergencies requiring the use
57 of a defibrillator or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The plan
58 must, at a minimum:
59 (a) Designate at least one person as a response leader who
60 shall:
61 1. Oversee the implementation of the plan.
62 2. Form a response team to respond to cardiac and medical
63 emergencies.
64 3. Ensure that the school has employees trained to respond
65 to cardiac or medical emergencies.
66 4. Be responsible for finalizing the school’s initial plan.
67 5. Be responsible for collecting and processing feedback
68 and updating the school’s plan, as necessary. The school’s plan
69 must be evaluated and, if necessary, updated after any cardiac
70 emergency drill or cardiac or medical emergency requiring the
71 use of a defibrillator at the school.
72 6. Work toward ensuring enough defibrillators are available
73 to allow a person to retrieve a defibrillator within 3 minutes
74 after a cardiac or medical emergency in which a defibrillator is
75 needed.
76 7. Form a response committee to assist in the duties of the
77 response leader and ensure compliance with the training
78 requirements of this section. The response committee must meet
79 at least once a year or more frequently if necessary to
80 discharge its duties. The response committee must be composed of
81 at least five persons who agree to work toward better outcomes
82 in cardiac events, including:
83 a. The response leader.
84 b. For a public school, a safe-school officer, who must
85 also be trained yearly in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the
86 use of a defibrillator and know the location of each
87 defibrillator on school grounds.
88 c. A student currently enrolled at the school.
89 d. A parent of a student currently enrolled at the school.
90 e. A classroom teacher at the school.
91 (b) Include a list of at least five school employees who
92 are certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and trained in
93 the use of a defibrillator.
94 (c) Include detailed procedures for responding to a cardiac
95 or medical emergency, including acknowledging that in such an
96 emergency it is crucial that emergency services be called,
97 quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation be administered, and a
98 defibrillator be retrieved as quickly as possible. A person must
99 be designated to be responsible for such actions and must be
100 prepared to perform such responsibilities as needed to ensure
101 such tasks are completed. The plan must also communicate that
102 other persons should not be deterred from performing such
103 actions as quickly as possible if the designated person is not
104 immediately available. The detailed procedures must identify the
105 person who will:
106 1. Respond to the cardiac or medical emergency in which
107 cardiopulmonary resuscitation or a defibrillator is needed and
108 ensure that cardiopulmonary resuscitation is administered.
109 2. Respond to the cardiac or medical emergency in which
110 cardiopulmonary resuscitation or a defibrillator is needed and
111 ensure that a defibrillator is retrieved and used.
112 3. Communicate with emergency medical services.
113 4. Communicate with school personnel.
114 5. Assist emergency medical services in locating the person
115 experiencing the cardiac or medical emergency.
116 (d) Establish a schedule for at least one drill each
117 semester of the school year in which the appropriate staff
118 members practice the implementation of the emergency plan. At
119 least once each school year, the drill required under this
120 paragraph must create the scenario of a student suffering from
121 sudden cardiac arrest and include participation of the entire
122 school, including both students and school employees.
123 (3) Each school shall provide students, parents, and school
124 employees with information, either electronically or physically,
125 on:
126 (a) Cardiac emergencies, including what a cardiac emergency
127 may look like and how to respond to such an emergency, including
128 when such emergency happens to a student, general information
129 about cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how to operate a
130 defibrillator, and the warning signs of a cardiac condition in
131 young people.
132 (b) The school’s emergency action plan, including the
133 protocols for use of and the location of all defibrillators on
134 school grounds.
135 (c) For school staff:
136 1. The warning signs and symptoms of a cardiac condition or
137 emergency for students, including the protocols for students to
138 discontinue any physical activity if such symptoms of a cardiac
139 emergency occur and how such events will be communicated to a
140 student’s parent.
141 2. The limitations and considerations a student with a
142 known cardiac condition may need.
143 (d) How and when to use a defibrillator.
144
145 Students enrolled in virtual education must only be provided the
146 educational information required by this subsection.
147 (4) The use of defibrillators or cardiopulmonary
148 resuscitation by school employees or students is covered under
149 ss. 768.13 and 768.1325.
150 (5) Each school district shall annually offer training in
151 cardiopulmonary resuscitation to any interested school employee.
152 (6) Each school shall annually, on a date established by
153 the Department of Education, submit to the district school board
154 a report demonstrating compliance with the requirements of this
155 section. Each district school board shall compile the reports
156 from schools within the district and annually, on a date
157 established by the department, submit a report to the department
158 to ensure compliance with this section.
159 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.