Enacts "Stella's law"; requires a staff member certified in first aid, CPR, and the Heimlich maneuver to be present in school cafeterias during lunchtimes.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8513
SPONSOR: Gandolfo TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring a CPR certi-
fied staff member to be present in school cafeterias during lunchtimes
SUMMARY:
Section 1 - States the title.
Section 2 - Amends the education law by adding a new section 3001-e.
Section 3 - Sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York does not currently require cafeteria monitors to be certified
in First Aid, CPR, and the Heimlich. Stella's Law corrects this over-
sight.
This Act is named in honor of Stella Tsimis who, in February 2023, saved
the life of a seven-year-old boy in the school cafeteria by performing
the Heimlich maneuver on him while he was Ghoking. Stella received the
New York State Liberty Medal for saving the child's life that day. The
Liberty Medal is the highest civilian honor someone can receive from New
York State and is only awarded for extraordinary, heroic and life-saving
acts.
Stella's actions on that day highlighted the need for all adult cafete-
ria monitors present in school cafeterias to be trained in and hold
current certifications for First Aid, CPR, and the Heimlich maneuver to
help ensure the safety of the children in the cafeteria.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Unknown.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8513
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GANDOLFO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring a CPR certi-
fied staff member to be present in school cafeterias during lunchtimes
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 "Stella's law".
3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3001-e to
4 read as follows:
5 § 3001-e. First aid, CPR, and Heimlich certification requirement. 1.
6 For the purposes of this section: (a) "Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
7 (CPR)" shall have the same meaning as in subdivision three of section
8 twenty-nine hundred ninety-four-a of the public health law.
9 (b) "Heimlich" or "Heimlich maneuver" shall mean a first-aid procedure
10 for dislodging an obstruction from a person's windpipe in which a sudden
11 strong pressure is applied on the abdomen, between the navel and the rib
12 cage.
13 2. In addition to any provision of law or rule or regulation of the
14 department related to the requirements necessary for teachers and staff
15 within New York schools, it shall be required that at least one adult
16 faculty or staff member of the school be certified in first aid, CPR,
17 and the Heimlich maneuver and be present and monitoring students in the
18 school's cafeteria during all lunchtimes of primary and secondary
19 schools.
20 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
21 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
22 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
23 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
24 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10193-02-5
