EMPORIA, Kan. (KSNW) - Schools across Kansas are implementing emergency response plans for cardiac arrest. The plans require schools to establish a response team, ensure automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are available, and provide training to athletes and students.
This is the result of a bill passed in 2024, which requires the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to develop model emergency cardiac plans for schools and for local school boards to adopt a plan.
The need for a bill like this became apparent in 2023 when Emporia teenager Reagan Herrman went into cardiac arrest during a basketball tournament. After rounds of CPR and shocks from an AED, Reagan regained consciousness.
Her mother, Amanda, said Reagan’s survival was only possible because AEDs were accessible at Wa