CPR

Minnesota school districts are preparing to comply with a new state law requiring them to have cardiac emergency response plans.

If a separate bill passes, coaches would have to receive training so they can jump in when a scare happens under their watch.

The response plan law, adopted last year, calls on schools to have them implemented by the 2026-27 academic year.

State funding was provided to help gather resources, such as automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.

This week, the new legislative proposal received a hearing.

It would require high school and middle school coaches to obtain life-saving CPR and AED training.

Holding back tears, Danielle Tirevold, a registered nurse, recounted the story of her daughter Gia, who went into sudden cardiac arrest while playing softball.

“I watched her face and lips go white; my child was pulseless – I immediately began performing CPR,” she says.

“There was no AED, no athletic trainer, no one there was trained to assist me.”

911 was called as the situation unfolded, and a nearby fire truck brought an AED.

Tirevold’s daughter survived, but she wants to prevent similar scares from turning deadly so that other parents don’t have to endure an unthinkable tragedy.

The American Heart Association says what happened to Gia is the leading cause of sudden death in young athletes.

The Minnesota State High School Coaches Association supports additional training but worries about logistical issues.

Gia Tirevold’s coach, Rick Thomas, testified in support of the bill, saying what happened last summer opened his eyes.

“To see someone you care so much about dying in front of you, and you don’t have the training to know how to help them,” he says.

“Please take a serious look at this situation and the lack of training and realize the importance of having coaches here in Minnesota trained with CPR.”

In response to the logistical concerns raised, the bill’s lead sponsor noted the many organizations, including the Heart Association, provide this training at no cost.

Other lawmakers at the hearing pointed out that expanded training can also save the lives of parents and other spectators.

The Senate Education Committee advanced the bill to the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.