Illinois bill would require schools to have AEDs for more than sports

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) - Illinois schools may soon be required to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for more than only sports.

The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday requiring schools have the devices during the school day and during all school-sponsored extracurricular activities.

An AED is a machine used to shock someone’s heart back into a normal rhythm when they’re going into cardiac arrest.

The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, said having an AED nearby will save lives.

“It’s really great to be able to see a need, it’s common sense, and then make it happen,” Harriss said. “And in the end, I think we’ll have students who are around that wouldn’t otherwise be.”

Harriss said she got the idea from constituents who lost their son to cardiac arrest.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously. It now heads to the House of Representatives.