GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2011

SESSION LAW 2012-197

HOUSE BILL 837

AN ACT to make successful completion of instruction in cpr available to all students with a plan to phase in completion of cpr instruction as a high school graduation requirement by 2015.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C-81(e1)(1) reads as rewritten:

"(e1)     School Health Education Program to Be Developed and Administered.

(1)        A comprehensive school health education program shall be developed and taught to pupils of the public schools of this State from kindergarten through ninth grade. This program includes age-appropriate instruction in the following subject areas, regardless of whether this instruction is described as, or incorporated into a description of, "family life education", "family health education", "health education", "family living", "health", "healthful living curriculum", or "self-esteem":

a.         Mental and emotional health;health.

b.         Drug and alcohol abuse prevention;prevention.

c.         Nutrition;Nutrition.

d.         Dental health;health.

e.         Environmental health;health.

f.          Family living;living.

g.         Consumer health;health.

h.         Disease control;control.

i.          Growth and development;development.

j.          First aid and emergency care, including the teaching of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich maneuver by using hands-on training with mannequins so that students become proficient in order to pass a test approved by the American Heart Association, or American Red Cross;Cross. Schools shall use for this purpose an instructional program developed by the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or other nationally recognized programs that is based on the most current national evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for CPR. Schools shall maintain documentation in an electronic database that students have successfully completed CPR instruction to meet Healthful Living Essential Standards. Successful completion of instruction in CPR shall be a requirement for high school graduation by the 2014-2015 school year.

k.         Preventing sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and other communicable diseases;diseases.

l.          Reproductive health and safety education; andeducation.

m.        Bicycle safety.

As used in this subsection, "HIV/AIDS" means Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome."

SECTION 2.  The State Board of Education shall work in cooperation with the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and other nationally recognized programs to develop a strategic plan to phase in successful completion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction as a requirement for high school graduation by the 2014-2015 school year. The plan shall include costs of, and details regarding, procedures for:

(1)        Obtaining and maintaining documentation regarding students who successfully complete cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction in the eighth grade in accordance with the Healthful Living Essential Standards previously adopted by the State Board of Education. Documentation efforts shall be initiated during the 2012-2013 school year.

(2)        Identifying students not successfully completing cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction through Healthful Living Essential Standards and ensuring that those students successfully complete cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction through other appropriate formats pursuant to G.S. 115C-81(e1)(1)j. Identification of students needing cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction and offering this instruction to those students shall begin during the 2013-2014 school year.

(3)        Requiring successful completion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction as a requirement for high school graduation by the 2013-2014 school year.

The plan shall be implemented at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.

The State Board of Education shall report on this plan to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15, 2013. The State Board of Education shall report on plan implementation to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by October 15, 2015.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 2^nd day of July, 2012.

                                                                    s/  Walter H. Dalton

                                                                         President of the Senate

                                                                    s/  Thom Tillis

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                    s/  Beverly E. Perdue

                                                                         Governor

Approved 10:41 a.m. this 26^th day of July, 2012