Bill > H572

This bill establishes a health education grant program to support the implementation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automatic external defibrillator (AED) education in public schools. The bill requires the state education department to create a grant program with specific criteria, including application formats, timelines, and scoring rubrics to help school districts develop CPR and AED instruction. The instruction must follow the most current national Emergency Cardiovascular Care guidelines and include psychomotor skills development, which means hands-on practicing and skills testing. Notably, licensed teachers will not be required to be certified CPR trainers when providing non-certification instruction, though courses leading to certification must be taught by authorized CPR/AED instructors. The bill also mandates that all public high school students must study and demonstrate general knowledge of CPR and AED use as a prerequisite for graduation, with instruction based on programs from recognized organizations like the American Heart Association or American Red Cross. The goal is to ensure students have practical life-saving skills and knowledge about emergency cardiovascular care before completing high school.

Education

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H572