AEDs Required in Ohio Schools

Last week, Governor DeWine signed into law House Bill 47 that requires automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in every public and chartered nonpublic school in Ohio.

The Bill requires the Ohio Department of Health to develop a model emergency action plan for the use of AEDs and also requires schools to adopt their own emergency action plan for the use of AEDs and practice that plan quarterly (Schools are not required to adopt the Department of Health’s model plan). Boards of education must provide training in the use of AEDs to teachers, principals, administrators, coaches, athletic trainers, and any other person that supervises interscholastic athletics.

The new law also directs the Department of Education and Workforce to develop a procedure for reporting violations of the law - for example, if a board of education fails to place AEDs in each school building or fails to adopt an emergency action plan and/or to properly train required staff members.