Heart defibrillators could soon be in every JCPS school after new proposal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The math doesn't add up for Jefferson County Public Schools.

The district has nearly 100,000 students and fewer than 100 AEDS, the heart shocking device that can save a child's life in an emergency.

There are 165 JCPS schools and only 76 of them have access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) unit. That's less than half the schools in the district.

Jefferson County Public Schools wanting more AEDs — Jefferson County Public Schools are wanting more AEDs.

Southern High School has two of those AEDs.

"Probably one of the most important pieces of equipment we have in our schools," Southern Athletic Director Scott Ricks said. "It's all about safety. It's all about what's best for our kids."

Ricks doesn't mind that they haven't been used in the last three years.

"You never know what's going to happen," he said. "Again, it's not just for students. You have thousands of visitors that come into your building every day, grandparents, aunts, uncles that may have health issues. You don't know. At any given time, they slip and fall or they have a heart attack and you have to have that equipment to save them because an ambulance may not get there quickly."

Currently, Kentucky law only requires AEDs at public high school practices and events.

"It's extremely important to make sure that you have one. JCPS does a nice job of providing AEDs for their high schools," Haley Williams, an athletic trainer at Southern, said. "I would love for it to be very much extended to every middle school, every school, because you never know can happen with everybody."

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsing and going into cardiac arrest brought the issue to top of mind. That same month JCPS put out a call for these proposals:

1 AED per elementary school for a total of 91
3 AEDs per middle school for a total of 75
5 AEDs per high school for a total of 105
1 AED for all other JCPS facilities for a total of 46

"It's highly important. It's really that setting something that can determine if somebody can live or potentially pass away from some sort of cardiac arrest," Williams said.

An AED costs around $1,500 a piece, but to Ricks, it's money well spent.

"It's just it's going to take care of kids. I mean, that's what we do," he said.