'Bleed Control' Lessons Could Enter NJ Schools Amid Mass Shooting Concerns

NEW JERSEY — Amid heightened concerns for protecting against school shootings, New Jersey high schoolers may need to learn "bleed control." A bill in the State Legislature would add the emergency protocol to students' health curriculum.

"The genesis of the bill is because of the mass shootings," State Sen. Joseph Vitale, one of the bill's two primary sponsors, told New Jersey Monitor. "Clearly, that’s not the first thing that a student should do — they should seek shelter and safety. But this instruction would give them a life-saving tool to use not just for school, but for home, in the mall, or at the store."

Vitale (D-19) and State Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) introduced the bill Aug. 8. The measure remains in the Senate Education Committee's hands for review.

The measure would require school districts to incorporate instructions on bleed control into the health curriculum. A board of education may select a no-cost, non-certification instructional program to meet the requirement.

If passed, the bill would take effect immediately after becoming state law.

While mass shootings have been at the forefront of school-safety conversations in recent months, schools around New Jersey have also put greater emphasis on first-aid knowledge in recent years. Janet's Law, which passed in 2012, requires every school in the state to have a defibrillator available in an unlocked location. A state law passed in 2014 requires high schools to learn CPR and defibrillator use.

Recent mass shootings around the nation, however, have served as grim reminders that first-aid knowledge from civilians can potentially save lives. When a gunman shot 10 people on a New York City subway last April, U.S. Army veteran Thomas Fischer applied a tourniquetto a man's leg. The shooting incident resulted in no deaths.

The May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School In Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 students and two teachers, put school-shooting prevention at the forefront for New Jersey officials. Following the killings, the state increased the police presence at all schools for the remainder of the school year.

A state law passed this summer will also require New Jersey school districts to create threat-assessment teams by the 2023-24 school year. The teams will confidentially identify students who may be at risk of engaging in violent behavior.

Each threat-assessment team will include the following members:

• a school psychologist, school counselor, school social worker or other school employee with expertise in student counseling
• a teacher
• a school principal or other senior school administrator
• a school resource officer or school employee who serves as a school liaison to law enforcement
• the designated school-safety specialist