Earlier this fall, the American Heart Association brought high school students from across Massachusetts to the State House with a clear message for lawmakers: learning CPR should be a requirement for graduating from high school.
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anytime, anywhere — at home, at school or in the community. When it does, bystander CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. Yet Massachusetts remains one of only a handful of states that does not require CPR education in high school. As a result, too many young people leave school without the knowledge or confidence to act in a life-or-death emergency.
At the State House, students met directly with legislators and their staff to advocate for legislation that would ensure students learn CPR before graduation and help put thousands of new lifesavers into communities across the state each year.
CPR Saves Lives
The urgency of this issue was front and center throughout the advocacy day. Students spoke about the reality of sudden cardiac arrest and the difference early action can make. CPR is not a medical procedure reserved for professionals. It is a skill that ordinary people can use to save a life in the moments before emergency responders arrive.
A ZIP Code Shouldn’t Decide Who Lives
Students also raised an important issue: in Massachusetts, access to CPR education often depends on where a student lives. Some schools offer training; others do not. That means a student’s ZIP code can determine whether they know how to respond to a cardiac arrest, a disparity that should not exist.
By making CPR training a statewide graduation requirement, Massachusetts has the opportunity to ensure that every student, regardless of background or location, gains the skills and confidence to help save a life.
CPR Is Easier to Learn Than Many People Think
Another common misconception students addressed is that CPR training is difficult or time-consuming. In reality, Hands-Only CPR can be learned in a relatively short amount of time, and that small investment can have a lifelong impact.
Students emphasized that preparing young people with this skill is both practical and achievable, and that schools already play a critical role in preparing students for real-world responsibilities.
Turning Advocacy Into Action
Each year, an estimated 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals in the United States. In many cases, survival depends on whether someone nearby knows what to do and feels empowered to act. This legislation offers a proven, practical way to increase survival rates by expanding access to lifesaving education.
Advocacy days like this one matter because they bring student voices directly into the policymaking process. Lawmakers hear from experts every day, but hearing from young people — the students who would be directly impacted by this legislation — adds urgency and clarity that statistics alone cannot.
The American Heart Association will continue working alongside students, educators and lawmakers to advance CPR education in Massachusetts. Because when more people know CPR, more lives can be saved, and ensuring the next generation has that knowledge is an investment in healthier, safer communities for everyone.