COLUMBUS, Ohio – A central Ohio lawmaker thinks Ohio high school students should not get their diploma unless they’ve learned CPR.

Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) has co-sponsored a bill with Tom Letson (D-Warren) that would require students to complete a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course as part of their school’s curriculum.

Cheryl Grossman
Pictured (l-r): St. Rep Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City), Denny Powell of the Miami Twp. fire department and Rep. Tom Letson (D-Warren) announce bill requiring CPR training for high school students..

The students would have to complete a first aid course that includes instruction in CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator in order to graduate.

Sixteen states have enacted similar legislation, Grossman said.

The American Heart Association says nearly 90 percent of the almost 424,000 people who suffer sudden cardiac arrests die and the organization says it is because they do not receive correctly administered CPR in time.