Requires automated external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at school-sponsored events; requires school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, county vocational education and extension boards and charter schools to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan.
Summary
S06863 amends the education law to expand automated external defibrillator (AED) requirements for schools and related educational entities. Under the bill, school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, county vocational education and extension boards, and charter schools must not only provide and maintain AEDs in instructional school facilities, but also ensure that AED equipment is immediately available at school-sponsored events, including practices and athletic events, and accessible to athletic coaching and/or training staff at those locations.
The bill also requires these entities to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan for school sites and for locations where practices or athletic events occur. The plan must address how personnel respond to sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergencies and must include training for appropriate staff such as school personnel, coaches, school nurses, and athletic trainers. The plan must incorporate evidence-based core elements recommended by the American Heart Association or another nationally recognized organization, and align with public access defibrillation requirements in the public health law.
Impact
The bill would amend section 917 of the Education Law to broaden AED access and emergency preparedness obligations for public schools, BOCES, county vocational education and extension boards, and charter schools. It would require AEDs to be on-site and immediately available at school-sponsored practices and athletic events, even when held off school grounds, and would formalize cardiac emergency response planning and staff training requirements. It also updates the statute’s cross-references to the Public Health Law governing public access defibrillation providers and liability protections.
Sentiment
The bill’s stated purpose and structure suggest strong support for student and athlete safety, with a focus on preventing fatalities from sudden cardiac arrest through faster AED access and better-trained responders. No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no documented opposition or amendment debate in the provided materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears framed as a public health and school safety enhancement rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main policy issue likely to generate discussion is the operational burden on school districts and charter schools, especially the requirement that AEDs be immediately available at off-site practices and athletic events and that staff be trained and assigned to respond. Potential concerns could include costs, logistics, staffing, and compliance for smaller or resource-constrained districts. Another possible point of contention is how broadly the emergency response plan and training standards should be defined, though the bill attempts to anchor them to nationally recognized guidance.
Same As
Requires automated external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at school-sponsored events; requires school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, county vocational education and extension boards and charter schools to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan.
Requires automated external defibrillator equipment to be immediately available at school-sponsored events; requires school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, county vocational education and extension boards and charter schools to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan.
Relating to the availability and instruction on the use of automated external defibrillators and a cardiac emergency response plan at public schools and certain private schools in this state.
Relating to the availability and instruction on the use of automated external defibrillators and a cardiac emergency response plan at public schools and certain private schools in this state.
Requires schools safety plans to include a cardiac emergency response plan that addresses the use of appropriate personnel and measures to respond to incidents involving any individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergency on any school site owned or operated by a school or at a location of a school sponsored event.
Requires schools safety plans to include a cardiac emergency response plan that addresses the use of appropriate personnel and measures to respond to incidents involving any individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergency on any school site owned or operated by a school or at a location of a school sponsored event.