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Forest Hill student urges wider CPR/AED training, placement in JPS cardiac emergency policy review
Summary
A Forest Hill High School student presented recommended revisions to the district's cardiac emergency response policy, urging broader CPR and AED training for staff and expanded AED placement in school buildings. Board members praised the work and signaled follow-up with district staff.
Eliza Keller, Forest Hill High School's student representative, presented the Jackson Public School District's proposed cardiac emergency response plan and recommended revisions at the board's regular meeting. The plan, Keller said, requires each school to keep a cardiac emergency response plan on file in the principal's office and to share the plan with local emergency response providers. "This policy states that each school shall have a cardiac emergency response plan on file in the principal office," Keller told the board.
Keller said the policy calls for appropriate school staff to be trained in first aid, CPR and AED use following evidence-based guidelines such as those from the American Heart Association, and that practice drills be held annually. She reported results from short surveys she conducted at Forest Hill: "Only 3 out of 15 people say they are prepared for a cardiac event," she said, and most students and staff she polled supported embedding CPR and AED instruction in physical education or offering it as an elective.
Keller told the board that at Forest Hill AEDs are currently available in the front office, welcome center and gym but not in the JRTC building or on the second floor of the main building, and she recommended adding AEDs in those locations for faster access in an emergency. She also recommended that staff with regular contact with athletes and staff who are on campus multiple days per week receive basic CPR and AED training and be included on each school's emergency response team.
Board President Dr. Seback and Superintendent Dr. Green asked Keller clarifying questions about priorities and implementation. Dr. Seback asked what Keller would prioritize if resources were limited; Keller replied that more AEDs on the second floor and other proximate locations would be a priority for Forest Hill. Dr. Green and several board members praised Keller's presentation and said the recommendations deserved follow-up. Dr. Green noted the potential student benefits of adding CPR training to school courses and said the district would consider her suggestions as staff follow up with school leaders.
No formal motion or vote was taken on the policy at the meeting; board members said Keller's presentation would prompt conversations between school leaders and district staff about feasibility, training logistics and budgeting. Several members said they expected district staff to follow up with additional information and next steps.
The district did not provide a timetable or cost estimate for adding AEDs or expanding staff training during the meeting. Keller suggested making CPR/AED training an elective available to PE and health students, and recommended certification for instructors of such courses.
Board members repeatedly thanked Keller for the specificity of her recommendations and for grounding her suggestions in student survey results. The meeting moved on after the board signaled it would pursue follow-up conversations with school and district staff to assess next steps and resource implications.
