by Barry Drue
Last summer the Michigan Legislature passed the “CPR in School” bill by an overwhelming vote. The law requires school districts to teach Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated External Defibrillators (AED) at least once to students during grades 7-12. L’Anse School Nurse Laura Schneider, RN, thinks it was about time the State caught up! “I went back and looked at my records. I’ve been teaching CPR since 1994,” Schneider said. The new law took effect for the 2017-18 school year. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia mandate CPR training before high school graduation. However, the new Michigan law is not overly rigorous in its requirements. “The law requires 30 minutes of training,” Schneider said. “It’s not so much that they want each student to be an expert, they want them to recognize what’s going on and know when to call the EMT’s.” When passing the law the sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives, Rep. Thomas Hooker (R-Byron Center) was quoted saying, ”I’m proud of my colleagues in the House for ensuring 100,000 Michigan high school students every year graduate equipped with the lifesaving skill of CPR.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.