CPR In Schools: Missouri Students Now Required By Law To Learn CPR, Heimlich To Graduate

Missouri students will have to undergo CPR training and learn the Heimlich maneuver if they want to graduate during the 2017-2018 school year. The state has signed this requirement into a law and it will take effect Aug. 28, 2016.

Missouri follows 33 other states across America that have already implemented this directive. The decision has been welcomed by the public, especially the American Heart Association (AHA).

Missouri Net reports that Gov. Jay Nixon approved Bill 711 on June 14. Essentially, this requires high school students in Missouri public and charter schools to learn 30 minutes of CPR and receive training for the Heimlich maneuver as a first aid response to choking.

34 states have now passed CPR in Schools leg which means more than 2 million students will be trained in lifesaving CPR before graduation!

— AmHeart Advocacy (@AmHeartAdvocacy) June 21, 2016

CPR In Schools: Teaching The Fundamentals

The bill was endorsed by Ron Ricks of the House of Representatives and Dan Brown in the senate. As a law, schools are ordered to allot a part of its health or physical education classes in training the students. However, this doesn't mean that the kids will receive any CPR certification. The directive is only "to teach the fundamentals of CPR," said Ricks.

Some 60,000 Missouri students will gain valuable lifesaving skills from this requirement. In fact, the AHA lauded the state government for ensuring that this is implemented. The group believes CPR in schools will help save many lives, per KTTN.

CPR In Schools: No Cost To Government

AHA is also giving the state $150,000 to carry out CPR training in schools. This will afford the institutions to acquire the kits necessary to help Missouri students learn the basics of CPR. AHA will also provide video presentations as well as other materials.

Cardiac arrest remains the leading cause of death and over 420,000 emergency cases relating to this happen every year, per Heart.Org. A civilian administering CPR can increase the chances of recovery of a person suffering from cardiac arrest in the absence of emergency or 911 personnel. To learn more about CPR, check AHA's site or watch the video below: