Beyond the Classroom: What Desha’s Law Means for Field Trip Safety

Effective January 20, 2026, Desha’s Law amends New York Education Law §2801-a (2) to require New York school districts to integrate a cardiac emergency response plan into their school safety plans.

In addition to having automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available, districts must now also maintain a workable, written plan that addresses rapid response procedures, assigned roles, internal communications, and coordination with local emergency responders. They are required to have appropriate personnel to respond to any incident of sudden cardiac arrest or other life-threatening emergency on any school site owned or operated by a school or at a location of a school-sponsored event, including but not limited to athletic programs. This ensures that schools have a coordinated, trained, and practiced response to sudden cardiac arrest and other life-threatening emergencies.

For school-sponsored field trips, or other school-sponsored events held away from school grounds, Deisha’s Law requires the district’s plan to contemplate response capabilities. This includes identifying appropriate personnel to respond to sudden cardiac arrest and establishing how emergency care will be initiated and coordinated at an off-site setting.

Field trip planning thus benefits from a proactive, destination-specific safety check. Before the trip, organizers should determine whether AEDs are available at the destination and, if so, where they are located, how they can be accessed, and whether venue personnel are trained to assist. Then organizers can ensure the on-site venue emergency preparedness aligns with the district’s cardiac emergency response plan and any applicable district policies, or determine if other measures, such as providing a portable AED and trained staff are necessary.

Desha’s Law heightens expectations around emergency preparedness by requiring districts to be able to demonstrate that a cardiac emergency response plan has been developed and implemented for sudden cardiac arrest incidents on school property and at school-sponsored events held off campus. Therefore, districts should be prepared to show that they developed an appropriate plan to respond to cardiac emergencies during field trips.

Please contact us if you have questions about the legal requirements relating to field trips or other off-campus activities.