Atlanta

Mothers who lost their sons, former Falcons star advocate for defibrillators in all Georgia schools

By Bryan Mims, WSB-TV
By Bryan Mims, WSB-TV

ATLANTA — An effort is underway in the state legislature to require all schools in Georgia to have cardiac arrest emergency plans. House Bill 874 would require every K-12 school to have at least one automated external defibrillator, or AED, on campus.

At a news conference Monday, parents who lost children to cardiac arrest advocated for the proposed law.

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Stephanie Rouse’s 13-year-old son, Montrile, died after playing a school basketball game in November.

“He was so excited to make the basketball team at his school,” she said. “He had just finished playing basketball, he went to go sit down and on the bench and he just fell over.”

She said nobody performed CPR and there was no AED on site.

“Having AEDs and having someone on-site at the school who knows what to do if a child was to suffer cardiac arrest would save other children’s lives,” she said.

Under current state law, only high schools with athletic programs are required to have AEDs. Among those advocating for the proposed law is former Atlanta Falcons star Matt Ryan.

“I understand that you might not have medical professionals in schools, but the more preparation you have, the better chances you have to save lives,” he said.

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The National Football League is pushing all 50 states to require cardiac arrest emergency plans in all of their schools. This comes after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game in Cincinnati in January 2023. He was revived on the field by an AED in front of thousands watching in the stadium and on TV.

“You send them off to school, you drop them off at school every day, you don’t know what’s in store,” Ryan said. “And as a parent, you want safety first.”

Tracy Wilson lost her 14-year-old son Terrell to cardiac arrest in 2007. It’s now her mission to see House Bill 874 become law.

“To save another child,” she said. “I’d rather have my son, but to help another parent get through something like this.”

Every year, about 23,000 children in the U.S. experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. Advocates of the bill say in schools with AEDs, about 70% of children survive cardiac arrest, compared to 10% for children in schools without the devices.

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