Student urges Jackson Public Schools to add CPR and active‑shooter training for student crisis‑response teams

Miss Leticia Marshall‑Thomas, the student board representative, proposed that Jackson Public Schools (JPS) add trained students to school crisis response teams and revise district policy to include student participation in CPR and after‑shooter training.

Marshall‑Thomas said the program — presented as “JPS CPR, Scribe, Prepared, and Ready” — would build “three essential pillars” of identification, preparation and readiness, and proposed specific policy language changes to existing JPS policy requiring drills and first‑aid training. “Students are at the heart of our schools, and their firsthand perspectives, insights, and leadership can be instrumental in responding to crisis,” she told the board.

The proposal recommends integrating CPR training into health or physical‑education classes, offering it as an extracurricular option and holding school‑wide demonstration events. Marshall‑Thomas suggested starting training as early as fourth grade (noting children “as young as 9 year old can learn CPR”), using volunteer sign‑ups at the high‑school level and selecting small, visible teams in…