State tells Alaska schools how its hands-only CPR requirement will roll out in 2027

Alaska schools will have to offer hands-only CPR instruction, where practicable, starting in July 2027 under a law passed this spring, and the state Department of Education and Early Development told districts Wednesday how it plans to roll the requirement out.

Hands-only CPR means chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing. Under the law, the department picks the curriculum and which grades get it, and schools must offer the instruction in those grades "if practicable," according to the department's guidance.

The department plans to decide the grade levels and how often students get the training by Dec. 15, and it is asking districts for recommendations through a survey.

Schools won't be starting from scratch. The department is working with the Department of Health, the University of Alaska Anchorage and the American Heart Association-Alaska on a list of curricula districts can choose from. The heart association has already given full CPR kits to about 120 schools or communities, and it is working with UAA to train people who can teach the course or help teachers do it. The department plans to launch a website with resources in February.

Certified CPR instructors, licensed emergency medical providers or certified teachers can teach the course. Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, who sponsored the requirement, said the curriculum doesn't require teachers to hold an instructor certificate and can be taught in short sessions once or twice a year.

The requirement started as Gray-Jackson's own bill. When the House Education Committee took it up in April, it pushed the start date to July 2027 to give the state time to seek a rural health grant for CPR training. In May, Gray-Jackson added the requirement on the Senate floor to House Bill 27, a measure on medical care during major emergencies.

The Senate passed the bill 20-0 on May 17, and the House agreed to the Senate version 27-13 two days later. During House debate, Rep. Bryce Edgmon said the department would "adopt already existing curriculum related to CPR, that this would be distributed to school districts free of charge." The bill became law without the governor's signature.