RICHMOND, Va. — Public schools in Virginia will now be required to have a plan in place for cardiac emergencies that occur on campus.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law the Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) for all public Virginia schools this week. The legislation, patroned by state Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Va., and championed by nonprofits like the American Heart Association (AHA), requires schools to have cardiac emergency drills similar to fire or tornado drills.
"Schools will be required to have a fire drill kind of process for cardiac emergencies that happen on school grounds or during sporting events," said Gonzalo Aida with the AHA.
Since 2023, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been required in all Virginia public schools. But Aida said CERP takes it one step further by making sure schools' students and staff not only know where to find and operate an AED but can get to it in an emergency.
Watch previous coverage: Her son had 3 cardiac emergencies at school. She wants to make sure all Virginia schools have response plans. (Jan. 16)
The new law also requires schools to coordinate with local EMS.
"Another part of this plan is that the school will have to coordinate with local EMS so that EMS knows the best way to get to schools with the least amount of barriers so that they know how to get to the emergency situation as well," Aida said.
The manner in which the CERP law, which goes into effect July 1, will be carried out will vary based on the needs of a particular school.
The law aligns with legislation passed in 2023, which in part mandated that the Department of Education publish a list of public and private grant opportunities to ensure that all schools can meet the AED requirement.
"Every individual school will have the autonomy to develop their Cardiac Emergency Response Plan as they see fit," Aida said. "But having a cardiac emergency response plan as part of the Virginia code is just another part of the comprehensive effort to ensure that our schools are as safe as possible."
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