Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Neutral |
Summary: Requiring public schools and open-enrollment charter schools to teach 7 through 12 graders how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an automated external defibrillator. The schools may use medical professionals to provide training and the students must receive the training at least once before graduating.
Analysis: Teaching CPR and defibrillator skills to middle and high school students is a distraction from the primary responsibility of our public schools. There is limited time in the school day for students to learn the already required curriculum. By adding this new requirement, schools will necessarily have to reduce time spent on other curriculum. This bill does not specify what curriculum should be sacrificed for the CPR and defibrillator training. By enacting a statewide mandate for a nonessential curriculum, this legislation increases the size and scope of state government and places a greater burden on schools and students. We oppose HB 897.