A new law in Michigan means if you want to be a high school athletic coach, you must soon learn CPR and how to properly use an automated external defibrillator, or AED.
Legislation signed into law by the governor over the weekend is a response to the growing number of cardiac emergencies among student athletes. Alexander Bowerson went into cardiac arrest while participating in high school sports and is now a University of Michigan freshman. He says all it takes is a simple online search to see that there are a few kids in the Detroit area who experienced cardiac emergencies this year alone.
“So now that it’s required, I hope school boards take it seriously and there’s going to be a kid alive today or whenever it happens that wasn’t going to be alive before because of these bills,” Bowerson said.
House Bills 5527 and 5528 will also require K through 12 schools to establish a cardiac emergency response team, and do annual reviews of their emergency plan. The cost for CPR and AED certification is between $15 and $100, and school districts will not be required to pay for the training.
The law goes into effect in the next academic year.
