The need for CPR certifications varies from state to state. There about 38 states, including California and Washington DC, that require some or all school staff to have a CPR certification. That can vary from a requirement to have a certification in just CPR or CPR and First Aid up to CPR, First Aid and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). Some schools have gone to the next step and purchased AED’s.
In California, for example teachers must be certified in CPR to receive their teaching credential but they are not required by most school districts in California to maintain their certification. If a teacher has been in the classroom for 15 years teaching it may also be very likely that they have not reviewed or practiced CPR in 15 years.
This could put children and staff at risk when very few employees are trained in something as basic as the Heimlich Maneuver. Since choking, asthma, and anaphylactic shock are all breathing problems that could lead to cardiac arrest. The more staff, including teachers at the school that are trained, the safer everyone will be.
A simple one-day CPR class or even an online CPR certification class covering adult, child CPR & AED & first aid could make all the difference in an emergency. Since about 350,000 cardiac arrests occur each year. At least 12,000 children are transported to hospitals each year from food choking injuries. As you can see from these numbers, life saving skills are something all schoolteachers, cafeteria workers, etc. need to know.
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