Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District to Become the First in California to Require Hands-On CPR Training as Part of 9th Grade Health Class, a Requirement for Graduation
American Heart Association and Learn for Morgan to be Presented the “You are the Advantage” Award
YORBA LINDA – On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 the Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) will become the first in California to require hands-on CPR training as part of 9th grade health class, a requirement for graduation. The curriculum change will be celebrated at the Tuesday evening school board meeting where board members will present the American Heart Association/American Stoke Association and Learn for Morgan, a local CPR-awareness organization, the district’s “You are the Advantage” award for successfully adding hands-on CPR and instruction to the district’s 9th grade health curriculum.
The curriculum change was inspired by the tragic, death of Esperanza High School Student Morgan Wilson, a 17-year old student who had a sudden, cardiac arrest before a tennis lesson at the Anaheim Tennis Center in summer 2014. While students and coaches were present, no one attempted CPR prior to emergency personnel arrival. Additionally, the Anaheim Tennis Center did not have an AED onsite. According to doctors, had Morgan received CPR early on, the outcome may have been different.
Following the tragedy, the American Heart Association and Learn for Morgan as well as Morgan Wilson’s parents have been involved with a series of meetings with PYLUSD to plan public outreach and hands-on CPR Training as a high school graduation requirement.
Schools implementing the curriculum include (with School Student Enrollment noted):
- El Dorado High School 1,928
- Esperanza High School 1,826
- Valencia High School 2,600
- Yorba Linda High School 1,776
PYLUSD is located in northeast Orange County serving the cities of Placentia and Yorba Linda as well as portions of Anaheim, Brea, Fullerton and unincorporated area buffering the Riverside County line. School enrollment is 25,092 including 34 school sites: 20 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, a K-12 school, 4 comprehensive high schools and a 9-12 independent study high school.
For more information, please contact Tamara White, Director of Communications & Marketing at the American Heart Association, at (213) 291-7028 or email tamara.white@heart.org.
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