Select students go out of their way for the opportunity to achieve titles such as a certified lifeguard or babysitter. Others take courses in self-defense, like martial arts and karate. CPR is another important safety skill, but with that talent, one could end up saving a person’s life. Because of the significance of CPR certification, two students, executive board president Lexi Rossow and senior class president Matthew Murray, are pushing for it to be enforced as a graduation requirement.
On Thursday, Jan. 23, and Tuesday, Jan. 28, Rossow and Murray presented their proposal of adding CPR into Personal Fitness curriculum to the Seminole County School Board. The school board members will decide whether or not to agree to the students’ pitch to apply CPR to the Personal Fitness curriculum. The representatives are insisting because attaining the ability to perform CPR could help in unexpected high school situations, as well as benefitting students beyond their educational life.
“When 70 percent of American adults are overweight and obese, that leads to high blood pressure and heart issues. It seems only beneficial to add this into our curriculum,” Personal Fitness teacher Josh Kohn said.
If the pitch is put into action, then being able to perform CPR will become required. Dummies would be included in the course, and Murray is hoping that the county or American Heart Association could help pay for the required materials.
In order to become certified, each student has to properly execute CPR to an instructor. The CPR course will be incorporated into the Personal Fitness curriculum, and since Personal Fitness is already a mandatory credit to have, every student will be exposed to the roughly four hour CPR education program.
The fact that all coaches must already be certified to teach CPR makes the implementation of this program much simpler. A teacher, though, would have to become an instructor certified in CPR to be able to certify others. Either that or the county may supply instructors for the school. However, there are some coaches, like Kohn, who try to go through the class every year. It is encouraged to stay up to date, since a few minor changes have been put into effect over the years.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re 16 years old or 56 years old, this still helps,” Kohn said.