Florida Senate - 2021 SB 280
By Senator Baxley
12-00084A-21 2021280__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation
3 training in public schools; amending s. 1003.453,
4 F.S.; providing that school districts are encouraged
5 to provide basic training in first aid, including
6 cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in specified grades;
7 requiring school districts to provide basic training
8 in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
9 in specified grades; revising requirements for
10 instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
11 providing an effective date.
12
13 WHEREAS, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the
14 United States and Florida, and
15 WHEREAS, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of
16 death on school campuses and of student athletes, and
17 WHEREAS, an estimated 1 in 25 United States schools will
18 have a sudden death on campus every year, and
19 WHEREAS, in 2019, there were approximately 356,000 sudden
20 cardiac arrests that occurred in the United States, including
21 7,037 children under the age of 18 who experienced sudden
22 cardiac arrest, and
23 WHEREAS, 70 out of 100 of sudden cardiac arrests happen at
24 home, and
25 WHEREAS, 9 out of 10 of all sudden cardiac arrests are
26 fatal, and
27 WHEREAS, only 1 in 10 victims survive a sudden cardiac
28 arrest, and
29 WHEREAS, only 8 in 100 victims survive a sudden cardiac
30 arrest on school campuses in the United States, and
31 WHEREAS, the American Heart Association estimates that at
32 least 5 in 10 victims could survive if bystanders performed
33 cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and used automated external
34 defibrillators (AEDs) immediately after a cardiac arrest event,
35 and
36 WHEREAS, African Americans and Latinos are at least two
37 times more likely to die from sudden cardiac arrest, African
38 American children are 41 percent less likely to receive CPR, and
39 Floridians in poor areas are more likely to die due to lack of
40 CPR education, and
41 WHEREAS, a University of Washington study showed that 89 in
42 100 victims on school campuses would survive a sudden cardiac
43 arrest if a well-executed Cardiac Emergency Response Plan were
44 implemented at the school campus, and
45 WHEREAS, the chain of survival includes prompt recognition
46 of a sudden cardiac arrest event, notification of emergency
47 services, prompt CPR, AED defibrillation, and advanced cardiac
48 life support, and
49 WHEREAS, in Florida, there are over 40,000 heart disease
50 deaths every single year, and
51 WHEREAS, Florida is a leading state for heart disease,
52 drownings, lightning strikes, accidental deaths, and accidental
53 overdoses, all conditions for which the initial life-saving
54 measure is CPR, NOW, THEREFORE,
55
56 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
57
58 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 1003.453, Florida
59 Statutes, is amended to read:
60 1003.453 School wellness and physical education policies;
61 nutrition guidelines.—
62 (3) School districts are encouraged to provide basic
63 training in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
64 for all students, beginning in grade 6 and grade 8 every 2 years
65 thereafter. School districts are required to provide basic
66 training in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
67 for all students in grade 9 and grade 11. Instruction in the use
68 of basic, hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be based
69 on a one-hour, nationally recognized training program that uses
70 the most current evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care
71 guidelines. The instruction must allow students to practice the
72 psychomotor skills associated with performing cardiopulmonary
73 resuscitation and use an automated external defibrillator when a
74 school district has the equipment necessary to perform the
75 instruction. Private and public partnerships for providing
76 training or necessary funding are encouraged.
77 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.