Public elementary & secondary schools; cardiac emergency response or emergency action plans.
HB1695 adds a new section to the Code of Virginia requiring every public elementary and secondary school to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) or, for schools with athletic programs, an athletic emergency action plan (athletic EAP). The plan must set out how school personnel respond to sudden cardiac arrest or similar life-threatening emergencies on school grounds and, where applicable, during school-sponsored athletic practices and events. The bill defines key terms such as AED, CPR, sudden cardiac arrest, and high-need school, and requires plans to reflect nationally recognized, evidence-based guidance.
The required plans must include a cardiac emergency response team, activation procedures, integration with local emergency medical services, annual drills, AED placement and maintenance, staff training in CPR, first aid, and AED use, dissemination of the plan to the school community, and ongoing annual review and revision. For schools with athletic departments or organized athletic programs, the bill requires that a CERP or athletic EAP be in place at all times and that AEDs be clearly marked, accessible, and available within three minutes of an emergency location when possible.
The bill creates a new statewide mandate for public elementary and secondary schools to adopt and maintain cardiac emergency preparedness protocols, expanding school safety obligations under Title 22.1 of the Code of Virginia. It affects school divisions, administrators, school nurses, athletic trainers, coaches, and local emergency medical service providers by requiring coordination, training, equipment placement, and regular drills. The measure also gives special attention to high-need schools through its definition, which may be relevant for implementation, funding, or prioritization even though the text does not create a separate compliance standard for those schools.
The voting history shows strong, bipartisan support for the bill throughout the legislative process, with unanimous or near-unanimous votes in subcommittee, committee, the House, and the Senate. The House and Senate ultimately agreed to a conference report, indicating broad agreement on the need for cardiac emergency preparedness in schools. The absence of recorded opposition in the votes suggests the bill was generally viewed as a practical school safety measure rather than a controversial policy change.
There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record, but the bill did undergo amendment, substitution, and a conference process, indicating some negotiation over implementation details. The main points likely involved how schools should structure emergency plans, what AED placement and accessibility standards should apply, and how closely the plans should align with nationally recognized guidelines and local EMS protocols. Any practical concerns would most likely fall on school divisions responsible for training staff, maintaining AEDs, and ensuring compliance, especially in athletic settings and in schools with limited resources.