Legislation for Oklahoma Students Requiring CPR Training
A bill that would require Oklahoma school students to receive instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to graduating from high school was sent to the state governors office.
House Bill 1378 by Rep. Emily Virgin and Sen. John Sparks, both D-Norman, cleared the House of Representatives and the Senate by wide margins.
The bill would place CPR training in the school curriculum and allow school districts to offer the training any time between grades 9 and 12. Students would receive “hands-on” training with a mannequin, to enable them to learn the psycho-motor skills necessary to perform CPR. Students also would be taught the purpose of an automated external defibrillator.
The legislation would not establish CPR as a separate class or credit course, nor would it require students to become certified in CPR.
This measure would provide every high-school student in Oklahoma with a skill that could save someone’s life someday.
Other states, including Texas and Arkansas, have similar laws requiring CPR instruction.
According to the American Heart Association, nearly 424,000 people have sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year, and only 10% survive, most likely because they do not receive timely CPR. Administered immediately, CPR doubles or triples survival rates.
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time, and can be caused by a heart attack, trauma, a substance overdose or drowning.
Read more about highschoolers being required to learn CPR here.
