TO REQUIRE SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT, ESTABLISH, AND IMPLEMENT A CARDIAC EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN THAT INTEGRATES NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ELEMENTS.

Arkansas schools must plan for cardiac emergencies

Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, Arkansas schools must develop and carry out written cardiac emergency plans within their emergency operations plans. Schools must add the requirements at their next scheduled plan update, no later than the 2026-2027 school year. Plans cover anyone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency on school grounds. They must follow nationally recognized core elements and establish a response team with steps for activating it. Schools must place and routinely maintain automated external defibrillators (AEDs) under recognized emergency heart-care guidelines. AEDs must be on site, marked with signs, and kept unlocked; use within three minutes is encouraged. Schools must share plans across campus, provide ongoing staff CPR and AED training, and train appropriate staff in first aid. They must also hold annual drills, coordinate with local emergency medical services and their response procedures, and review their plans. The law expands covered athletic activities to school-sponsored activities whose participants are mostly under 19. These include interscholastic athletics, cheerleading—including noncompetitive cheerleading—club sports, and sports sponsored by school-affiliated groups. The Department of Education may set up procedures to monitor school compliance.