What States Require CPR for Graduation? Mandatory CPR in High Schools Across the States

Across the USA, many states have already adopted or are in the process of adopting CPR legislation that makes the technique a mandatory part of high-school curriculums. Currently, 39 states across the USA have CPR education acts and laws that make this life-saving technique obligatory in public and other high schools and campuses.

The high-school students are learning CPR courses by following the guidelines of the American Heart Association and relevant institutions, such as the American Red Cross and the National Council of Safety.

Here, we’ll learn about the CPR graduation requirement and the active laws in particular states.

CPR Training: Why Among High-School Students?

There are multiple reasons why a regulatory body or a legal authority may enforce mandatory CPR training among students. According to studies, although the sudden cardiac arrest risk at schools is much lower than in other public places, people can still experience it. Not to mention there are many cases when high school students, especially athletes, suffer an SCA.

High-school athletes are at greater risk of cardiac arrest, especially if they have predispositions for heart disease. That’s why there’s a comprehensive study on how experts should assess athletes’ heart pathology and risk before playing a match.

However, sports-related emergencies aren’t the only ones that can happen on the high school premises and call for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Fires can also be a problem for the school authorities and the students. The US Fire Department estimated that, between 2014 and 2018, local fire departments responded to approximately 3,230 fires on school premises.

There are many other reasons, but the state laws and regulations also consider CPR awareness and the ability of future citizens to administer this life-saving technique. Recent studies have confirmed the positive outcomes of mandatory CPR training courses among students. Moreover, experts, scientists, and legal authorities are pressing new legislation based on the updated AHA guidelines.

In some states, like Tennessee, the CPR Act was adopted in 2002 and has been expanded and updated since then. On the other hand, states like California, Kentucky, Oregon, and New Mexico enacted the legislation in 2016. There are also states where CPR training in high schools is only recommended, such as South Dakota.

States That Require CPR for Graduation

39 out of all 50 states have an active regulation of CPR graduation requirements in high schools and other education facilities. If you want to know what states require CPR for graduation, the following is an alphabetical list of them:

• • Alabama

• • Arkansas

• • California

• • Connecticut

• • Delaware

• • District of Columbia (Washington D.C.)

• • Georgia

• • Idaho

• • Illinois

• • Indiana

• • Iowa

• • Kentucky

• • Louisiana

• • Maine

• • Maryland

• • Michigan

• • Minnesota

• • Mississippi

• • Missouri

• • Montana

• • Nevada

• • New Jersey

• • New York

• • North Carolina

• • Ohio

• • Oklahoma

• • Oregon

• • Road Island

• • South Dakota

• • South Carolina

• • Tennessee

• • Texas

• • Utah

• • Vermont

• • Virginia

• • Washington

• • West Virginia

• • Wisconsin.

Each state has its acts and legislation on the mandatory status of CPR. The states’ laws and regulation acts can differ in the teaching techniques, number of hours spent on training, examination methods, and the school year.

For example, some states like Tennessee oblige school authorities to provide students with CPR manuals, guides, and materials, including hands-on practices by a professional CPR instructor. On the other hand, Tennessee obliges high schools to provide basic AED (Automated External Defibrillation) training to junior and senior high-school students.

The state authorities don’t require a CPR certification among young adults and students because mandatory CPR is enacted to raise awareness and improve the psychomotor skills of the students for reacting in multiple emergencies.

Typical State CPR Graduation Requirements

You can analyze the acts of each particular state, and you’ll see that the goal of the state authorities is to raise awareness and practical knowledge about this life-saving technique. The state authorities always consider the increased survival rate as a result of the immediate performance of CPR and AED.

The students’ CPR knowledge is also crucial because of the increased rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. That’s why in many states if you’re a high-school student, you cannot graduate without spending an exact number of CPR training hours and passing the hands-on examination.

Following is a comprehensive list of what state authorities usually mandate as CPR requirements for high-school graduation:

• • The educator must be a certified CPR instructor;

• • The CPR training course must follow the recent guidelines and directions by organizations like the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or the National Safety Council;

• • Schools can usually use AHA and American Red Cross materials to implement the CPR training courses;

• • States may oblige students to learn the CPR technique during different school years. However, the most common example is in the 10th grade;

• • Specific personnel and employees within the local district schools must learn the CPR technique and pass the exam before participating in the CPR training;

• • Some schools mandate hands-on practice and examination (like Tennessee), while others allow students to finish the training online or through blended learning (like Alabama).

The CPR High-School Curriculum

If you’re wondering what states require CPR for graduation and if there’s a standard CPR training curriculum for high school students, you can always check the active acts and legislation. However, there are some minimum requirements that each state enforces through high-school CPR training.

For instance, some states may additionally require AED training. One such example is the state of Oregon, where students between 7th and 12th grade must learn how to handle an Automated External Defibrillator through hands-on practice.

Other states, like West Virginia, require all eligible school staff to provide 9th to 12th-grade students with at least 30 minutes of CPR training. Moreover, the state underlines that the practices must be based on AHA’s guidelines or similar standards.

During these CPR classes, high-school students learn the basics about various emergencies, such as sudden cardiac arrest, drowning, choking, multi-system allergic reactions, and losing consciousness.

State authorities usually don’t require senior and junior high school students to learn different CPR techniques, like child and infant CPR. Some states and schools even allow students to master just the hands-only CPR for greater effectiveness and faster response time.

The bottom line is – each state has its unique act on obligatory high-school CPR training and what requirements the school and the student fulfill must fulfill. Nonetheless, all state authorities are primarily focused on providing junior and senior students with psychomotor skills and habits necessary for quick reaction and proper CPR performance.

Health Organizations Recognized by State Authorities

Each state’s House of Representatives recognizes several organizations eligible to provide CPR certification courses and train students and staff personnel. State Authorities usually recognize credible organizations like:

• • The American Heart Association – AHA is a non-profit health organization that sets standards and guidelines for First Aid, CPR, and AED.

• • The American Red Cross – The Red Cross is another organization that sets the standards in the field of first aid, disaster relief, and educational techniques.

• • National Council of Safety – The NCS is another public health non-profit organization that supports safety and health across the United States.

State authorities can also accept CPR certificates and high-school educational courses from other organizations, such as the Regional Emergency Medical Services or the American Safety & Health Institute. However, AHA and American Red Cross are the most widely recognized organizations for providing high-school courses. AHA and the American Red Cross base their CPR recommendations on recent studies and constantly introduce updates to their guidelines. They have already prepared curriculums on the application of first aid techniques, CPR, and Automated External Defibrillation.

Moreover, these organizations have customized training courses and programs for instructor certificates. These instructors are usually the same who work at the high-school premises of each state and provide the students with particular CPR knowledge.

Final Words

Now that we’ve answered the question, “what states require CPR for graduation?” let’s have a brief overview of the most critical points.

There are 39 states that enforce some level of CPR training. Each state has specific requirements like training time, effort, and examination rules. We’ve seen how each House of Representatives imposes different first aid, CPR, and AED requirements for high-school graduation.

The various states aim to raise CPR and SCA awareness and reduce the risk of fatal emergencies in public places. On top of that, the students can use this knowledge to help relatives, the elderly, and other SCA, choking, or allergy victims everywhere.