Requires portable anti-choking devices be placed in schools.
What changed between versions
The original bill required the Department of Education to reimburse schools for implementation costs. The amended version instead requires the Commissioner of Education to establish procedures ensuring devices are provided at no cost to the State, districts, or nonpublic schools, and authorizes the Commissioner to accept contributions of funds or actual devices from private or nonprofit entities. This removes the state's obligation to pay and relies on external donations.
A new provision (Section 2b) requires the Commissioner of Education to establish procedures to ensure the efficacy of portable anti-choking devices used by schools, and authorizes the Commissioner to take any other action concerning their use. This gives the Commissioner broad regulatory authority over which devices are acceptable.
A new Section 6 provides that no school employee, officer, or agent of a board of education or nonpublic school shall be held liable for good faith acts or omissions consistent with the act, excluding willful misconduct, gross negligence, or recklessness. This is a standard Good Samaritan-style liability shield.
The policy requirement was expanded from a single training mandate to three minimum requirements: (1) Commissioner approval of specific devices placed in schools, (2) implementation of standard choking response protocols from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or other Department of Health-recognized program before using a device, and (3) the original training requirement for school nurses and employees.
The bill was restructured: the original Section 1 (device placement) and Section 2 (policies) were merged into a new Section 2 with subsections a and b; the definition was moved to its own section; sections were renumbered throughout.
Senator Diegnan was added as a co-sponsor, and the bill status changed from 'Introduced Pending Technical Review' to 'As reported by the Senate Education Committee on March 2, 2026, with amendments.'
