Senate BillChaptered/SignedEducation
SB 945: School curriculum: physical education framework: cardiopulmonary resuscitation: automated external defibrillators.
What SB 945 does, verified October 2, 2026
The bill aims to improve the physical education curriculum in schools. Currently, schools are required to teach compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and provide information on the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The bill would require the state's instructional quality commission to consider including content on CPR and AEDs in the physical education framework when it is revised after January 1, 2027. This would provide a more comprehensive education on lifesaving skills for students.
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 992, Statutes of 2026. (2026-09-30)Alert me
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| Sep. 30, 2026 | Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 992, Statutes of 2026. |
| Sep. 30, 2026 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Aug. 24, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. |
| Aug. 19, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 6264.) Ordered to the Senate. |
| Aug. 19, 2026 | In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
Latest bill textChaptered version, September 30, 2026 · 927 words
Senate Bill No. 945
CHAPTER 992
An act to add Section 33549 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.
[ Approved by Governor September 30, 2026. Filed with Secretary of State September 30, 2026. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 945, Weber Pierson. School curriculum: physical education framework: cardiopulmonary resuscitation: automated external defibrillators.
Existing law requires the governing board of a school district or the governing body of a charter school that requires a course in health education for graduation from high school to include instruction in performing compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as provided. Existing law also encourages those entities to provide to pupils general information on the use and importance of an automated external defibrillators (AED). Existing law further requires the State Department of Education to provide guidance on how to implement these provisions, including, but not limited to, who may provide instruction.
Existing law establishes the Instructional Quality Commission and requires the commission to, among other things, recommend curriculum frameworks to the State Board of Education.
This bill would require the commission, when the physical education framework is next revised after January 1, 2027, to consider including content on the importance, performance, and use of CPR and AEDs in that framework.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) According to data from Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring annually and nearly 90 percent resulting in death; California has the highest number of cardiac arrests with one of the nation’s lowest survival rates at just 8.7 percent, which is in part attributed to only 42 percent of individuals suffering a cardiac arrest receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and approximately 9 percent receiving a shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED).
(b) Cardiac arrest can occur without warning and affects individuals of all ages, including approximately 23,000 children under 18 years of age each year outside of a hospital setting.
(c) Survival from SCA is highly time sensitive, with a victim’s chance of survival decreasing by 7 to 10 percent for every minute without CPR or defibrillation.
(d) Immediate bystander intervention using CPR and AED can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival, yet many individuals do not act due to lack of training or confidence.
(e) National medical experts, including the American College of Cardiology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association, identify widespread CPR and AED education as a critical, evidence-based strategy to improve survival rates and recommend that pupils receive training before graduating high school.
(f) Schools are uniquely positioned to provide universal access to CPR and AED instruction, and research shows that pupils can effectively learn these skills through brief, scalable training.
(g) However, current law links CPR instruction to the presence of a health education course, resulting in inconsistent implementation across local educational agencies and, according to data from the State Department of Education, resulting in an estimated 40 percent (758,000) of California’s public high school pupils being excluded from this learning.
(h) As a result, pupil access to CPR and AED training varies based on local curriculum decisions, creating inequitable access to lifesaving skills.
(i) These disparities disproportionately affect pupils in underresourced communities, where access to health education courses is less consistent, with 77 percent of excluded pupils identifying as other than White and 65 percent identified as having a socioeconomically disadvantaged status, according to data from the State Department of Education.
(j) At the same time, significant inequities exist in cardiac arrest outcomes: individuals in low-income communities and communities of color are less likely to receive bystander CPR, and Black and Hispanic individuals experience lower rates of intervention compared to White individuals.
(k) These disparities contribute to lower survival rates and reflect broader inequities in access to emergency preparedness and health education.
(l) Physical education is a standard requirement for high school pupils, providing a universal point of access that reaches all pupils regardless of whether a local educational agency requires a health education course.
(m) Incorporating CPR and AED training into the physical education curriculum framework would ensure consistent, statewide access to lifesaving instruction and eliminate disparities caused by uneven health course requirements.
(n) The Instructional Quality Commission should consider integrating CPR and AED training into the physical education curriculum framework to promote equitable access and align lifesaving skills instruction with a course required of all pupils.
(o) Expanding universal CPR and AED training in high schools is an evidence-based strategy to increase bystander intervention rates and reduce disparities in survival outcomes.
(p) Emergency medical services often cannot arrive within the critical window needed to prevent death or severe brain injury, making immediate bystander action essential.
(q) Training all pupils before graduation will increase the number of individuals prepared to respond in emergencies and strengthen community resilience.
(r) A majority of states have already adopted CPR training requirements for high school graduation, reflecting a national consensus on the importance of this policy.
(s) CPR and AED training is a low-cost, high-impact intervention that equips pupils with practical, lifesaving skills.
SEC. 2.
Section 33549 is added to the Education Code, immediately following Section 33548, to read:33549.
When the physical education framework is next revised after January 1, 2027, the commission shall consider including content on the importance, performance, and use of compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillators in that framework.Text of SB 945 as chaptered, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions