New York High-Schoolers Must Learn CPR to Graduate

New York is the 26th state to require high-schoolers to be certified in CPR in order to graduate.

The new law goes into effect in October.

According to the American Heart Association, more than a quarter-million Americans have a cardiac arrest incident (outside of the hospital) annually. CPR by a bystander increases that person’s survival chances but fewer than half receive it.

“CPR training is a formative life skill and we are encouraged that New York and 25 other states share our position. But there is more work to be done. We will continue to promote CPR in Schools and ensure it is part of the national dialogue on education until these laws are passed in all 50 states,” said AHA CEO Nancy Brown in an article on EMS World.

The CPR in Schools law in New York requires that every student must be taught CPR to graduate.

The other states are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. More than 1.5 million students will be trained each year in the 26 states.

In New York, some of the CPR in Schools advocates worked on the New York law for 15 years, EMS World reported.

Photo Caption: Briarcliff High School students are undergoing CPR and AED training in their physical education classes as part of a new state requirement that mandates all graduating seniors have the experience before graduating. Photos Courtesy of the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District