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.