Michigan School CPR & AED Requirements in 2026 | SPARK CPR
Michigan School CPR & AED Requirements in 2026: What Schools Need to Know
Keeping students and staff prepared for a cardiac emergency involves more than simply having an AED mounted on the wall.
Michigan schools must consider CPR and AED training requirements for certain employees, First Aid and CPR requirements for newly employed classroom teachers, emergency response planning, AED readiness, and the ability of staff to respond when an emergency occurs.
The rules can also be confusing because different requirements apply to teachers, athletic coaches, students, and school emergency response teams.
For school administrators in Monroe, Wayne, Washtenaw, and surrounding Michigan communities, here is what you need to know about CPR and AED preparedness in 2026.
This article is provided for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Schools should verify current requirements with the Michigan Department of Education and applicable state law.
Do Michigan Teachers Need CPR and First Aid Training?
Michigan changed its teacher CPR and First Aid requirements in 2023.
According to the Michigan Department of Education, individuals first employed in classroom teaching on or after August 1, 2023 who do not already hold a valid CPR/First Aid card must complete specified training as part of their new-teacher professional development.
That training includes First Aid, adult CPR, and pediatric CPR. The CPR coursework must include a skills demonstration on a mannequin as well as instruction in managing a foreign-body airway obstruction. The required courses must be completed within the teacher's first year of classroom employment.
Importantly, this does not mean every Michigan teacher is required by this particular provision to continuously maintain CPR certification. The requirement depends on when the teacher was first employed and whether the teacher already possessed valid documentation meeting the requirement.
Michigan also does not accept a completely online course for this teacher requirement. The state says CPR and First Aid education requires demonstration and practice. Blended courses are permitted when they include the required hands-on component.
The Michigan Department of Education specifically lists the American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED program among its approved options for satisfying the applicable First Aid, adult CPR, and pediatric CPR requirements.
SPARK CPR provides American Heart Association Heartsaver CPR, AED and First Aid training for schools and other organizations throughout Southeast Michigan.
Michigan High School Coaches Must Maintain CPR and AED Certification
The requirement for high school athletic coaches is more straightforward.
Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, Michigan Public Act 37 requires an individual serving as an athletic coach at a high school operated by a public school, public school academy, intermediate school district, or nonpublic school to maintain a valid certification in CPR and the use of an AED.
The certification must be issued by the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or another comparable organization or institution approved by the Michigan Department of Education.
The word maintain is important.
This isn't simply a requirement for a coach to have taken a CPR class at some point in the past. Schools should have a process for tracking certification expiration dates and ensuring that coaches renew their certification before it expires.
For athletic departments with multiple coaches, coordinating individual certification classes throughout the year can quickly become difficult. SPARK CPR's onsite CPR and AED training for schools and organizations allows an entire group to be trained at the school's location instead.
That can make it considerably easier for athletic directors and administrators to keep multiple coaches current at the same time.
What About CPR Training for Michigan Students?
Michigan school preparedness isn't limited to employees.
Current Michigan Department of Education guidance also states that students enrolled in grades 7 through 12 receive one-time CPR and AED instruction under the Revised School Code.
There is an important distinction between instruction and professional certification. Student instruction does not necessarily mean every student graduates with an American Heart Association CPR certification card.
Schools should evaluate their specific curriculum and requirements separately from employee certification requirements.
Michigan Schools and Cardiac Emergency Response Plans
A cardiac emergency response plan establishes what should happen when someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest or another serious cardiac emergency on school property.
Michigan Department of Education's January 2026 school-health guidance describes school cardiac response planning as addressing issues such as AED use and maintenance, activation of a cardiac emergency response team, campus communication, CPR/AED training planning for schools containing grades 9 through 12, coordination with local emergency responders, and regular review of the plan.
Michigan also enacted Public Act 36 of 2024, creating an expanded cardiac emergency response-plan framework beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. Among other provisions, the law addresses cardiac emergency response teams, AED accessibility, staff training, athletic events and coordination with local emergency responders.
There is, however, an important legal qualification.
The expanded provisions state that the Legislature must annually appropriate sufficient funding to implement the requirements and that public and nonpublic schools are not required to comply with that section unless sufficient funds have been appropriated. Michigan Department of Education's January 2026 guidance specifically repeats this funding condition.
Because that funding condition can be evaluated from year to year, school administrators should verify the current status with MDE rather than relying on an older article or checklist.
Regardless of the funding status of the expanded requirements, having a well-designed cardiac emergency response plan remains an important part of school emergency preparedness.
Having an AED Isn't Enough
Many organizations believe they are prepared for cardiac arrest because an AED is somewhere inside the building.
The better question is:
Can the right person get the AED to the patient quickly when an emergency actually happens?
Schools can be particularly challenging because they often include multiple floors, separate buildings, athletic fields, gymnasiums, auditoriums and outdoor facilities.
An AED located near the main office may provide little practical benefit during an emergency on a distant football field if retrieving it takes too long.
AED readiness should therefore include more than purchasing the device. Schools should know where each unit is located, make sure staff can access it, identify who is responsible for inspections, track expiration dates on pads and batteries, and incorporate AED retrieval into the school's emergency response plan.
For schools that need to add or replace equipment, SPARK CPR offers state compliant AED's, along with assistance for organizations evaluating AED preparedness.
CPR Training and AED Readiness Should Work Together
An AED is an incredible emergency-response tool, but equipment and training should never exist as two completely separate programs.
During an actual cardiac arrest, responders need to recognize the emergency, activate 911, begin CPR, retrieve the AED, apply it correctly and continue following the response plan until EMS arrives.
That is why effective school preparedness combines trained people, accessible equipment and a practiced response plan.
The Michigan Department of Education's school nursing guidance asks schools to consider who knows CPR, where AEDs are located, whether the devices are maintained and inspected, and who knows how to use them.
Those are practical questions every school should be able to answer before an emergency occurs.
A 2026 CPR & AED Readiness Checklist for Michigan Schools
School administrators and athletic directors can start by working through these seven steps:
Identify employees who are legally required to complete or maintain CPR/AED training. Pay particular attention to newly employed classroom teachers and high school athletic coaches.
Check certification expiration dates. Don't wait until the start of a sports season or a compliance review to discover that certifications have expired.
Review your cardiac emergency response plan. Identify who activates the plan, who calls 911, who begins CPR and who retrieves the AED.
Inventory every AED on campus. Record the location, model, pad expiration date and battery status of each device.
Evaluate AED accessibility. Consider classrooms, gyms, athletic facilities, outdoor fields and after-hours events—not just normal school-day operations.
Coordinate training whenever possible. Bringing employees together for onsite CPR, AED and First Aid training can simplify scheduling and certification tracking.
Practice the response. A written emergency plan becomes far more useful when staff understand their roles before the real emergency occurs.
Can Michigan Schools Use Blended CPR Training?
Yes, For teachers subject to Michigan's new-teacher CPR and First Aid requirements, MDE states that completely online training is not acceptable, but blended learning that combines online coursework with in-person demonstration and practice is permitted when offered through an approved provider.
SPARK CPR offers both instructor-led classes and blended American Heart Association training with an in-person skills session.
This can be particularly useful for school employees who need flexibility to complete coursework around their work schedule.
Do All Michigan Teachers Have to Stay CPR Certified?
Not necessarily.
Michigan's current new-teacher professional-development requirement applies to individuals first employed in classroom teaching on or after August 1, 2023 who do not already have valid documentation satisfying the requirement. The training must be completed during the first year of employment.
That requirement should not be confused with the high-school coach law, which specifically requires covered athletic coaches to maintain a valid CPR and AED certification.
An individual who is both a teacher and a high-school athletic coach may therefore have additional ongoing certification obligations because of the coaching role.
Are American Heart Association Courses Accepted in Michigan Schools?
Yes.
Michigan Department of Education lists multiple American Heart Association Heartsaver courses among its approved CPR and First Aid programs. The Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED course is listed as covering First Aid, adult CPR and pediatric CPR.
The high-school athletic coach statute also expressly identifies certification issued by the American Heart Association as an acceptable option.
Build a Complete CPR & AED Program for Your School
Meeting a requirement is important, but emergency preparedness shouldn't end when the certification cards are issued.
Schools should know who is trained, where their AEDs are located, whether those AEDs are ready for use and what staff will do when a cardiac emergency occurs.
SPARK CPR is a firefighter-owned Michigan training provider serving organizations throughout Monroe, Wayne and Washtenaw counties. We provide American Heart Association CPR, AED and First Aid training and can bring the class directly to your school through our onsite group training program.
We can also help schools evaluate their AED needs and provide AED equipment for school and workplace emergency preparedness.
Whether your school needs to certify coaches, train staff, organize a group class or improve AED readiness, the goal is the same:
Make sure the equipment and the people needed during an emergency are ready before they're needed.
