Texas schools will be required to have a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP), mandated CPR and AED certification for certain employees, and drills to test emergency response by the first instructional day of the 2027-2028 school year. Signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott this past fall, Senate Bill 865, also known as the Landon Payton Act, requires public, private and charter schools to implement CERP to improve cardiac safety and increase school preparedness for medical emergencies The bill is named after Landon Payton, a student who died due to an inoperable AED, or Automated External Defibrillator which is a portable, life-saving medical device used to treat sudden cardiac arrest by analyzing the heart's rhythm and delivering an electric shock if needed. It guides users through voice prompts, making it accessible for untrained bystanders to help restore a normal heart rhythm.
According to language in the bill, specific staff to be trained includes athletic coaches or sponsors, school nurses, marching band directors, cheerleading coaches and any other school employee specified by the commissioner and each student who serves as an athletic trainer must participate in the CPR and use of an external defibrillator and maintain a certification for the American Heart Association, American Red Cross and similar nationally recognized association.
Each campus within a school district is required to have functional automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and trained personnel. Funding for AEDs in Texas public schools primarily comes from district budgets (local property taxes) and state funding, as mandated by Senate Bill 7, which requires at least one AED per campus. AEDs can retail for anywhere between $1,100 – $2,500.
Specific organizations may provide grants for school AEDs, including AED Superstore, Hopey’s Heart Foundation, and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, as well as The Rural Access to Emergency Devices Grant Program aids schools in eligible areas. The Texas Health & Safety Code allows schools that lack funds to solicit donations for AED purchases.