The Florida Department of Education is meeting today, July 17, and is expected to discuss the recommendation that all bus drivers and bus attendants receive CPR and first aid training, reported Fox 13.
The rule is being discussed after a 14-year-old, Terissa Gautney, died during a medical episode on a Polk County School bus. The student’s parents have been pushing for Florida officials to make school buses safer by adding this requirement.
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In February 2018, Gautney, who had cerebral palsy, was riding on a school bus and her head was tilted back. The report said she did not have enough strength to pick her head up, and was not helped for 20 minutes, because the bus staff did not know what to do.
Her parents are now pushing for the “Terissa Joy Act,” which would require all bus staff to have CPR and first aid training. They are also advocating that new radio systems be installed on every bus that would allow staff to contact emergency personnel directly, it was reported.
