Committee reviews H.247 to require cardiac emergency response plans, AED placement and training in schools

The House Committee on Education on Feb. 27, 2025, reviewed H.247, a bill that would require Vermont school districts and approved independent schools with athletic programs to develop and implement cardiac emergency response plans beginning in the 2025–26 school year. Testimony described a student saved by rapid CPR and AED use and urged statewide planning and training.

An unidentified testifier who was invited to speak about H.247 recounted a January incident in which a 16‑year‑old student, Dominic Barkham, collapsed during a basketball game and was resuscitated by trained staff using CPR and an automated external defibrillator. The testifier argued the event demonstrated the life‑saving value of preparedness and urged committee members to support the bill so every school has a plan and trained personnel.

Nate James of the Office of Legislative Counsel walked the committee through the bill as introduced. James said H.247 would add a new section to Title 16 governing "acute cardiac events in schools," adopt the definition of AED consistent with Title 18 (emergency medical services), and require each district and qualifying independent school to develop a written cardiac emergency response plan that integrates evidence‑based core elements such as those recommended by the American Heart Association. Required plan elements include establishment of a cardiac emergency response team, activation guidelines, AED placement and routine maintenance, plan dissemination, ongoing staff training in CPR and AED use, practice drills, coordination with local emergency medical services, and annual review and evaluation. The bill sets a statutory implementation timeline so plans must be developed and ready for implementation in the 2025–26 school year and the statute would take effect July 1, 2025.

Testimony from Kathleen Bonnell, a school nurse who said she implemented a plan at her building using Project Adam templates and local EMS support, said running a drill identified gaps and increased staff confidence. Bonnell told the committee her district has AEDs in each building and a full‑time school nurse in every building; she said the Project Adam templates and training were free and relatively simple to use, which can reduce the perceived burden of an additional mandate. Committee members raised the potential of an unfunded mandate and whether districts would need additional funding or staffing to comply; James acknowledged the budget question and noted prior budget material had been submitted and could be attached to implementation planning.

Committee discussion also noted existing policy expectations that coaches, athletic directors, and nurses hold CPR/AED certification in many districts, and members asked whether the committee should identify a model plan or template state officials could provide. Testifiers suggested that readily available templates and brief training sessions can make implementation feasible even for busy schools.

No formal vote was taken; discussion focused on plan content, implementation timing, possible budget support, and next steps to integrate local EMS guidance and national evidence‑based standards into the statutory language. The committee indicated work would continue on drafting and potential budget language before any final action.