School districts prepare to give CPR training to students with new Florida requirement

School districts prepare to give CPR training to students with new Florida requirement

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida school districts have been scrambling to figure out how to get students trained to save lives when someone is suffering from a heart attack.

State law now requires it, but it’s been up to districts since the start of the school year to figure out how to make it happen.

In August, the state legislature required CPR training when school started, but they didn’t give school districts the tools to make it happen. The American Heart Association delivered those tools on Friday: Dozens of boxes filled with CPR kits.

“Right away the schools here were coming to us saying how are we going to do this,” explained Kelly Glewa, executive director of the American Heart Association.

She said Arthrex stepped up with a $75,000 grant to help pay for the CPR kits. The American Heart Association started training staff members like Melissa Johnson Friday morning.

“I’m a mom #1, but #2 I also go into schools and I think it’s so important to have this training to be able to react in a situation,” said Johnson.

She and others will now provide this training to students. Philip Loiacano said it was training that saved his life. His 14-year old son took a CPR class in school, and he said it saved his life during a heart attack.

“The doctor said had my son not been there and reacted so quickly the outcome would have been a lot different,” Loacano said.

It’s training that all freshmen and junior students will begin receiving this semester.