Mahwah trains staff in CPR at six times the state minimum

Every New Jersey school is required to have at least five staff members certified in CPR/AED techniques, and a staff member with that training must be on site for every sporting event and team practice. 

MTPS goes further to train all coaches, administrators and supervisors, and to train all paraprofessionals because they have a higher chance of working with students who have medical needs. That dedication gives the district about 170 trained employees across its seven schools. 

Victor James, a teacher of physical education and health at Ramapo Ridge Middle School, conducted a series of training sessions on October 14. He has trained hundreds of MTPS staff members over at least 26 consecutive years; he can’t even remember when he started a string of continuous certification to do that. He was trained in CPR as a lifeguard at age 15 and was first qualified to train others a few years later.

Mr. James gives the same speech to staff members – and to the seventh-grade students in the state-mandated First Aid and Safety course. “I tell everyone: If all you’ve done is called 911 and initiated an emergency response plan, you have helped.”

Mr. James also recites examples of how training was called into action, such as the student who applied pressure to staunch bleeding during a hockey game and the one who helped when a youngster was choking on a bite of food. 

He is currently the only certified trainer in the Mahwah district, and that will change on November 6. In collaboration with the New York Jets, the American Heart Association will hold a “Train the Trainers” session at Mahwah High School. Representatives from 10 northern New Jersey school districts will come together to learn how to train their colleagues in Hands-Only CPR.

That group will include two more MTPS employees:

• Zoe Delohery, a Ramapo Ridge physical education teacher and a coach for girls soccer
• Justin Jaskot, a Mahwah High School physical education teacher who also serves as an assistant coach for spring track and football at MHS

Ms. Delohery, Mr. Jaskot, and all the other newly certified trainers will return to their schools with training kits and the knowledge needed to conduct instructional sessions for 10 or 20 people at a time.