On July 24, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law known as Desha’s Law, named after a 12-year-old student who died from cardiac arrest during a school basketball game in Western New York.

This law requires that all public schools in New York State develop a cardiac emergency response plan to be incorporated into their school safety plan by January 20, 2026.

This update has been added to the 2025-2026 District-Wide Safety Plan as  APPENDIX 6 – Cardiac Emergency Response Plan Information, which can be found on page 42. 

The revision was presented at the November 5, 2025 Board of Education meeting and is available for public comment beginning November 6, 2025 for 30 days through December 8, 2025.

Comments should be submitted directly to District Clerk Ashley Simmons at asimmons@cohoes.org no later than 3 p.m. on December 8, 2025.

All comments will be reviewed. The plan will be recommended for approval at the December 10 Board of Education meeting.