CPR in Schools will soon be a reality in Texas! This past Friday, Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation that makes Texas the 11th – and largest – state to require CPR education for graduation from high school. The law goes into effect for the Class of 2015.
This is quite a milestone because of the sheer numbers involved. Texans comprise 9 percent of all high school graduates in the country, or 280,000-plus students per year. That means that by 2020 there will be well more than a million more Americans equipped with this lifesaving knowledge from the Lone Star State alone. Of course, there will be many more CPR trainees from the other states that preceded Texas in passing this legislation. Those states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont and Washington. For more information visit www.BeCPRSmart.org.
Special thanks go out to AHA’s You’re the Cure network of advocates, staff who signed 100-plus petitions, those who sent nearly 13,000 emails sent to lawmakers and all who helped to spread the word about AHA’s efforts!
We also want to thank Gov. Perry for his support. If you would like to join us in doing so, please click here.