The Georgia School CPR and AED Mandate Study

House Bill 874, signed by Governor Brian Kemp on April 23, 2024 and effective July 1, 2025, expanded Georgia's AED and CPR requirements from high schools with athletics programs to every public K-12 school in the state. Across Gwinnett, Forsyth, Cherokee, and Hall counties, the study estimates that 260 school buildings now carry an AED obligation, approximately 21,900 teachers, coaches, and school nurses are subject to twice-annual CPR and AED practice requirements, and roughly 95,000 high school students must receive hands-on CPR and AED instruction.

• Georgia HB 874 expanded school AED and CPR requirements to every public K-12 school in the state.
• Across Gwinnett, Forsyth, Cherokee, and Hall counties, the study identifies 260 public school buildings with an AED obligation.
• The report estimates that approximately 21,900 teachers, coaches, and school nurses are subject to twice-annual CPR and AED practice requirements.
• The twice-annual practice requirement creates a minimum estimated 43,800 staff CPR practice events across the four-county region each school year.
• Gwinnett County Public Schools accounts for the largest single-district estimate, with 142 schools and approximately 28,000 annual staff practice events.
• Approximately 95,000 high school students across the four counties fall under hands-on CPR and AED instruction requirements.

Research Partner

Work Readiness Center

Study ID

ASBRC-2026-014

Geography

Gwinnett, Forsyth, Cherokee, and Hall counties, Georgia

Industry

CPR, AED, and school safety training

Research Area

Community Health & Preparedness

Primary Data Sources

OCGA § 20-2-775 as amended by Georgia House Bill 874, 2024, OCGA § 31-11-57 and OCGA § 51-1-29, Georgia General Assembly legislative records, Gwinnett County Public Schools and Gwinnett Chamber 2025 staff and enrollment context, Forsyth County Schools district data, NCES 2024-2025 district data for Cherokee County School District and Hall County Schools, American Heart Association CPR and AED training standards context

Publication Date

July 2026

Status

Published

This study examines Georgia House Bill 874's expanded school CPR and AED requirements and estimates the scale of AED obligations, twice-annual staff practice events, and student CPR instruction across four North Atlanta counties.

For North Atlanta public schools, AED readiness is not only an equipment issue. The report frames HB 874 as an active annual training and practice obligation for school staff and a hands-on instructional requirement for high school students. Districts may need recurring scheduling systems, documentation practices, and qualified training support to meet the law's practical requirements.

The report draws from OCGA § 20-2-775 as amended by HB 874, Georgia AED and Good Samaritan statutes, district enrollment and school-count data, NCES district data, Gwinnett Chamber staff context, Forsyth County Schools data, and American Heart Association standards context. The 43,800 annual practice-events estimate was calculated by multiplying the instructional staff estimate by two. The 260-school AED obligation was tallied from district-reported school counts. The 95,000 high school student estimate aggregates grades 9-12 enrollment across the four counties using NCES and district data.

Staff counts reflect instructional staff and may not fully capture all coaches and school nurses named in HB 874, making the 21,900 staff figure and 43,800 annual practice-events figure conservative floor estimates. Cherokee County's school count is an estimate based on available NCES data and should be verified against current district records. AED counts represent statutory minimums and do not assess whether larger campuses require additional devices for functional accessibility. This report does not assess individual school compliance status and does not constitute legal, medical, regulatory, or school-specific compliance advice.

• OCGA § 20-2-775 as amended by Georgia House Bill 874, 2024
• OCGA § 31-11-57 and OCGA § 51-1-29
• Georgia General Assembly legislative records
• Gwinnett County Public Schools and Gwinnett Chamber 2025 staff and enrollment context
• Forsyth County Schools district data
• NCES 2024-2025 district data for Cherokee County School District and Hall County Schools
• American Heart Association CPR and AED training standards context

Work Readiness Center provided expert context on scalable CPR, AED, and BLS training for schools, healthcare employers, and organizations navigating recurring practice and certification requirements.

• Full Report PDF: Full report PDFAvailable
• Executive Summary: Executive summaryAvailable
• Methodology: Methodology notesAvailable
• Citation: American Small Business Research Center. The Georgia School CPR and AED Mandate Study. ASBRC-2026-014. July 2026.Available
• Press Release: Press releaseAvailable
• Charts: ChartsComing Soon
• Media Kit: Media kitComing Soon

American Small Business Research Center. The Georgia School CPR and AED Mandate Study. ASBRC-2026-014. July 2026.

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Work Readiness Center. Research partners may provide topic context, access to subject matter expertise, or financial support for the research process. The American Small Business Research Center maintains editorial independence. Research partners do not determine findings, methodology, conclusions, or publication decisions.