New Jersey Teachers Would be Required to Have Seizure-Safety Training Under New Law

New Jersey Teachers Would be Required to Have Seizure-Safety Training Under New Law

The new law would require school staff to undergo seizure-safety training. It would also require school nurses to come up with personal emergency plans for students with seizure disorders.

  • By Sherelle Black
  • September 16, 2019

It is common practice for most teachers to know how to perform CPR and have a basic understanding of first aid.

But what if a child starts having a seizure, would they know how to react?

A New Jersey mom and her son Paul, who has epilepsy, do not want to take the chance of his teacher or other teachers not knowing what to do.

"We're trying to make teachers know what to do when seizures happen," Paul told the Courier-Post in August. "So for example, say if I was having a seizure in class and a teacher was right next to me, she would know what to do ... I can't move and I can't talk when a seizure is happening."

On Thursday, State Sen. Jim Beach (D-Camden/Burlington) introduced “Paul’s Law,” which would require school staff to have seizure training.

Additionally, the law would have school nurses develop individualized health care and emergency plans for a student with a seizure disorder. This would be done with input from the child’s parents.

Besides teachers, bus drivers would also be trained how to provide care for those seizures.

A nonprofit group, such as the Epilepsy Foundation of America, would provide a free online course to satisfy the training mandate, reported the Courier-Post.

With 12,000 children living in New Jersey with epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation, Beach said he sees the need for the bill.

"All school personnel should know what to do when a student has a seizure, either in the classroom or at an after school event,” Beach stated in a release. “With the help of Paul St. Pierre, this legislation will go a long way in educating our teachers and other school personnel on how to handle a situation when one of their students has a seizure.”

About the Author

Sherelle Black is a Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

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