Law Requiring CPR to be Taught in Schools is Signed

Governor Scott Walker signed legislation into law Tuesday at Wausau West High School which provides lifesaving skills instruction to students in Wisconsin, according to a release from the Governor's Office. 

“Over 1,000 people suffer from cardiac arrest in the United States every day and very few citizens are trained to respond and help in these situations,” Governor Walker said. “This legislation gives our students the training they need to offer aid and potentially save lives.”

The Bill requires school boards, operators of independent charter schools, and governing bodies of private schools to provide instruction in CPR and cardio cerebral resuscitation (CCR) in health education courses offered to students in grades 7 to 12. It additionally requires students to be instructed on how to use automated external defibrillators.

The bill will be implemented in the 2017-18 school year and teaches all youth basic compression-only CPR and how to use defibrillators in school. Similar legislation has been enacted in 29 states. Chances of survival drop by ten percent for every minute without CPR.

“Minutes count in these situations,” said Governor Walker. “By teaching lifesaving skills like CPR as early as middle school, Wisconsin students receive important training they’ll be able to use in the real world.”