Janet’s Law supported by new CPR requirement for high school students

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Magnus Health
February 4, 2015
Blog, Student Health
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Janet’s Law supported by new CPR requirement for high school students

New Jersey became the 19th state to pass a law requiring high school students to learn CPR and how to use defibrillators in order to graduate. The law takes effect for the graduating class of 2019, and supports Janet’s Law – existing legislation requiring schools to have an AED on school property. Both laws were put in place to save lives.

For details on the new law, check out these resources: 

In total, 20 states have with similar CPR legislation, including: Washington, Idaho, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware (most recent), New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Minnesota, and Iowa.

Find out where your state stands on CPR legislation in this American Heart Association interactive map.

AHA_map


Janet’s Law: Implications for School Nurse responsibilities [Guest Post]

This post originally appeared on the Magnus Health blog.

Due to the fact that each year approximately 220,000 persons die from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), schools all over the United States are writing and enacting policies to increase SCA survival rate with strategies that will deliver defibrillation earlier than an EMS system. defibrillator

In New Jersey, the bill ensuring that all public schools, which include any of the grades kindergarten through grade 12, make available an automated external defibrillator (AED) on school property is designated “Janet’s Law.” This nomenclature is in memory of a student who died of SCA following a cheerleading practice in New Jersey.

Among the many stipulations within this bill, which will be put into effect September 2014:

  • It will be required that someone certified in AED use be present at every athletic event, team practice and cheerleading practice or other such activities.
  • This AED needs to be placed in a specified unlocked location within close proximity to an athletic field or gym. 
  • This AED needs to be maintained and tested according to manufacturer’s guidelines.
  • An “Emergency Action Plan” needs to be written and implemented to respond to sudden cardiac events, including, but not limited to, those cardiac events which would make use of defibrillation.
  • At least five school faculty members be certified in CPR and AED use.  This list must be posted, updated as necessary, and made current yearly. 

Although this does not seem overwhelming, as the School Nurse is usually deemed ‘the person’ to devise, write and implement all the standards of this “Janet’s Law” application in schools, it is of upmost importance that all considerations within each individual school be considered in the writing of such a plan. Considerations include: size of building and grounds; location of athletic fields; number of students and faculty members; site(s) for storage of the AED; coordination protocols with EMS; coordination of AED/CPR training; frequency of training; refresher courses; documentation of AED maintenance; accountability issues, and other aspects of the logistics of this new policy for all schools.

Having just spent many hours in response to this requirement from The New Jersey State Legislature, I suggest that committees be formed, within schools, to devise, write and implement this Emergency Response Plan. Members of different school functions should join together to best decide procedures are now mandated and everyone understands the seriousness of SCA and the importance in saving someone’s life. The building custodians, athletic coaches, administrators, local EMS staff, local health department and others can greatly affect the best plan to be devised and implemented. This new bill is very serious and its implementation in schools must not be taken lightly.

Looking for more information on current health legislation and school safety?

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About the author

Pam BarnesPamela Barnes, RN, CSN-NJ, M.Ed is the School Nurse and Health Educator at The Children’s Institute in Verona, NJ, and has over 18 years of school nursing experience.