The bill, known as the John Wesley Foster Act, mandates that starting with the 2025-2026 school year, all public and nonpublic schools in Alabama must develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan. This plan is to include specific steps to reduce deaths from cardiac arrest on school property, with particular attention to incidents that occur during athletic activities. The plan must adhere to nationally recognized guidelines, such as those from the American Heart Association, and include the establishment of a cardiac emergency response team, staff training in CPR and AED use, appropriate AED placement and maintenance, dissemination of the plan, practice drills, and annual reviews.
The bill also requires that appropriate school staff be trained in first aid, CPR, and AED use, and that schools work with local emergency services to integrate the cardiac emergency response plan into the community's emergency medical services protocols. The State Board of Education is authorized to adopt rules to monitor adherence to the act by local boards of education and governing bodies of nonpublic schools. The act is set to become effective on October 1, 2024. The bill has been enrolled and passed by the Senate on May 8, 2024.
Statutes affected: Introduced: 16-30D-2
Engrossed: 16-30D-2
Enrolled: 16-30D-2