Last week, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) rolled out resources for school districts as they work to meet the new requirements for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in school buildings.
Ohio Revised Code (RC) 3313.717 was amended in House Bill (HB) 47, and the new provisions will be effective Oct. 24, 2024. The new law will require that AEDs be placed in each public school, chartered nonpublic school, and sports and recreation location, as defined in the bill. Under the current law, districts were permitted, but not required, to have AEDs in schools. The new law also requires schools to adopt an emergency action plan for the use of AEDs.
ODEW has created a webpage dedicated to information about the new AED requirements for Ohio’s schools. That webpage can also be accessed by scanning this QR code:
The new ODEW resource page offers districts resources on the emergency action plan. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has been directed to create a model action plan that districts can use although they can also create a plan themselves. The ODH model plan is not yet available but will be posted to the ODEW resource page when it is.
ODEW was required to develop a procedure for reporting violations of the bill’s requirements to place AEDs in schools and adopt emergency action plans. That form is one of the new resources posted on the ODEW resource page. More resources include information about required staff training on the use and implementation of the emergency action plan and considerations for placing AEDs in schools.
Please contact the division of legal services at (855) 672-2529 or (855) OSBA-LAW with general questions about the new requirements in the law. For specific legal questions, please reach out to board counsel.
Note: The laws that are linked in this blog post are the versions that will be in effect on Oct. 24, 2024. From those links, readers can also access the laws that are currently in effect.