The district now requires seniors to learn about CPR before graduation, in accordance with Texas House Bill 897. Throughout the year, all seniors will learn CPR during Tiger Den. The course, developed by the American Heart Association, teaches students how to react in the case of a cardiac arrest emergency and includes hands-on practice.

This measure was a long time coming and will give generations of students the ability to save lives.

According to the American Heart Association, CPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival, yet less than half of cardiac arrest victims receive CPR from a bystander. This training gives students the power to save someone’s life. By educating every high school graduate, the bill exponentially increases the chances of having a bystander with CPR knowledge on hand in case of an emergency. Taking this into account, it is difficult to believe that the bill is only now coming into effect.

Although some disregard the training as a waste of time, it takes minimal foresight to see the potential benefits of taking merely 30 minutes out of a student’s day. Tiger den time is allotted for activities that benefit students in areas in which they might be lacking, such as SAT preparation or extra time to prepare for Advanced Placement tests. While it is not academic, CPR training is just as, if not more, beneficial to a student’s future and the lives of those around them.

Others oppose the training, because students do not become CPR certified. Requiring certification simply would not be practical. It takes up to five hours to complete a certification course, which means it would take up to five weeks of Tiger Den time to teach one set of students, whereas teaching the basics requires only half an hour and can be just as effective towards teaching students skills they might need later on in life.

Teaching seniors CPR gives students the power to save lives, one heart at a time.