Hopefully not many students have encountered the situation in which someone is near death because of choking, or going into cardiac arrest. But it is a situation that citizens need to know and be familiar with in case it ever happens to a loved one, or even a stranger.

Two Texas lawmakers (Representative John Zerwas and Senator Juan Hinojosa) have proposed a bill, HB 897/SB 261, that would require students in high school to take a 30-minute class on CPR instruction. This class would be required to graduate.

“I remember learning CPR in health class freshman year,” senior Zach McWilliams said. “We performed on dummies, but the actual instructions on what to do in that situation have slipped my mind since then.”

CPR training would teach teens how to use defibrillators, which can save the life of somebody that has fallen victim to sudden cardiac arrest.  Training on defibrillators hasn’t been available to students yet, and CPR training hasn’t been taught to the freshman class this year.

“I think the idea of training students in CPR is great. The chance for someone to keep somebody from dying, or alive long enough for to get the professionals is a tool I think is worth having,” health teacher Ryan Cox said. “The reason I don’t teach it is because we don’t have the time or resources. I also would have to be certified to teach CPR.”

The passing of this bill would be useful in ways students might not see. The one time 30-minute class would fit into the students’ schedule easily, while providing a skill vital to saving someone’s life.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea, just because it would teach us to save a life,” sophomore Kamie Lloyd said.  “You never know when you could come across a situation like that.”

If the bill is passed, Texas would join five other states (Minnesota, Vermont, Alabama, Iowa and Tennessee) who have passed regulations similar to this one.