HB1178 requires the Hawaii Department of Education to create a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training program beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The program must be offered in all public middle, intermediate, and high schools and made available to students in grades 6 through 12 as part of existing health or physical education classes. The training must be based on nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines, include hands-on practice, and, when certification is offered, be taught by certified CPR/AED instructors. The bill also allows a disability-based waiver for students who cannot participate in hands-on instruction and provides liability protection for the department and related personnel except in cases of gross negligence, willful and wanton conduct, or intentional wrongdoing.
The bill also requires every public elementary, middle, intermediate, and high school to establish a cardiac emergency response plan by the same school year. Each plan must include a cardiac emergency response team, procedures for activating the team during a sudden cardiac event, placement and maintenance of AEDs on campus, staff training in first aid/CPR/AED use, practice drills, and protocols for responding to sudden cardiac arrest or similar emergencies. Schools must share the plan with teachers, post it in visible locations, and coordinate with local emergency medical services to integrate the plan with community response systems.
Impact
HB1178 would amend chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by adding new requirements for public school CPR/AED instruction and school cardiac emergency preparedness. It would impose new duties on the Department of Education and on public schools statewide, affecting curriculum, staff training, emergency planning, AED placement and maintenance, and coordination with local EMS. The bill would also create limited civil liability protection for the department and related actors in implementing the training program.
Sentiment
The bill appears broadly supportive of student safety and emergency preparedness, with a preventive public-health focus rather than a controversial policy shift. Because no committee transcripts or recorded votes are provided, there is no documented opposition or support in the available record; however, the structure of the bill suggests it is framed as a practical school-safety measure intended to improve response to cardiac emergencies.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are implementation-related: the cost and logistics of training students and staff, ensuring certified instructors where certification is offered, maintaining AEDs and emergency plans across all schools, and integrating the new requirements into existing health or physical education curricula. Another possible issue is the disability waiver and how schools will determine when hands-on participation is not feasible. The liability limitation may also be a point of interest, as it shields the department and school personnel except in cases of serious misconduct.
Encourages public school teachers to hold current certification in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and use of automated external defibrillator.
Relating to instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators and to a cardiac emergency response plan for certain school employees and volunteers.