WASHINGTON – Any public school teacher in Virginia wanting to get or renew their license to teach must prove they’ve been trained in emergency first aid and CPR.

The mandate is part of the new set of laws taking effect in Virginia on July 1. Any local school board can require school bus drivers to do the same in order to keep their jobs.

In a few years, some students will need to be certified as well. Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, ninth graders will have to be trained in CPR in order to graduate.

The Virginia Board of Education and the state health department will be overseeing the changes and will come up with the guidelines to implement them.

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