Illinois high school students will have to learn how to perform CPR and operate automatic external defibrillators under a new law passed by the Legislature last week.
Right now, some schools teach the life-saving practices and some do not. Some, like public schools in Rockford, offer training in CPR and the operation of AED devices to some students but not all.
Expanding that to include all high school students in the Rockford School District was a priority long before the new law, explained Tyler Fagan, the district’s dean of physical education, health, wellness and driver’s education.
“We’ve been meeting for some time now trying to figure out how to incorporate both CPR and AED and first aid training into our middle school and high school curriculums across the board,” Fagan said.
Lack of funding is preventing Fagan from implementing his dream program. Now that the law has passed, Fagan said, he’s hoping there will be grants available to help cover the cost of the new unfunded state mandate.
“We think we need about $80,000 to buy all of the equipment and provide all of the training to our health teachers in our 12 secondary schools,” he said. “It would mean training for about 15 teachers who would then be CPR instructors. We could get workbooks for the students. That would cover about four training AEDs — they have special ones for training — and 18 mannequins for CPR training.”
Without funding from the state or grant dollars, the district probably will buy a couple AEDs and CPR mannequins and rotate them through the high schools to meet the new requirements.
The district has nearly 7,500 high school students that will need to be taught how to give CPR and work a defibrillating device. Most students would get the training in health class during their sophomore year, Fagan said.
The law goes into effect July 1.
The measure’s sponsor, Sen. John Mulroe, D-Chicago, said the legislation could help save lives.
The legislation was prompted by the 2008 death of St. Charles High School student Lauren Laman during a drill team practice. Laman’s parents say her life may have been saved if her teammates were properly trained. Gov. Pat Quinn says the legislation is “common sense” and makes sure high school students are prepared to handle life-and-death situations.
“It’s a public health issue,” Fagan said. “The more people who are training to help others, the better our situation is. ... I think it will help give people peace of mind. And it fits well with our academy approach. There are certifications you can get. Almost every internship being offered to students in our Health Services Academy these days requires them to have a current CPR certification.”
Corina Curry: 815-987-1371; email@example.com; @corinacurry