Mo. Rev. Stat. § 160.485 — MO Code / Chapter 160 / Section 160.485
160.485 Stop the bleed act — definitions — traumatic blood loss protocols, ...
Status: in_force

160.485. Stop the bleed act — definitions — traumatic blood loss protocols, requirements — annual training, use of bleeding control kits — immunity from liability, when. — 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Stop the Bleed Act".

2. As used in this section, the following terms mean:

(1) "Bleeding control kit" , a first aid response kit that contains at least the following:

(a) Tourniquets that are:

a. Endorsed by the United States Department of Defense Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care or its successor entity; or

b. Approved for use in battlefield trauma care by the Armed Forces of the United States;

(b) Bleeding control bandages;

(c) Latex-free protective gloves;

(d) Permanent markers;

(e) Instructional documents developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security's Stop the Bleed national awareness campaign or the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, or both; and

(f) Other medical materials and equipment similar to those described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subdivision;

(2) "Department" , the department of elementary and secondary education;

(3) "Emergency medical services personnel" , paid or volunteer firefighters, law enforcement officers, first responders, emergency medical technicians, or other emergency service personnel acting within the ordinary course and scope of those professions, but excluding physicians;

(4) "School personnel" , any employee of a public school district or charter school, or any volunteer serving at a public school or charter school, who is designated to use a bleeding control kit under this section.

3. (1) Before January 1, 2026, the department shall develop a traumatic blood loss protocol for school personnel to follow in the event of an injury involving traumatic blood loss. The protocol shall meet the requirements of this section and shall be made available to each school district and charter school.

(2) The traumatic blood loss protocol shall:

(a) Require that a bleeding control kit be placed in areas where there is likely to be high traffic or congregation, such as auditoriums, cafeterias, or gymnasiums, and areas where risk of injury may be elevated, including vocational classes such as woodworking or automotive classes, in each school district's school buildings and each charter school in an easily accessible location of such areas to be determined by local emergency medical services personnel;

(b) Include bleeding control kits in the emergency plans of each school district and charter school, including the presentation and use of the bleeding control kits in all drills and emergencies;

(c) Require each school district and charter school to designate in each school building a school nurse or school health care provider or, if no school nurse or school health care provider is available, a school personnel member, who shall obtain appropriate training annually in the use of a bleeding control kit including, but not limited to:

a. The proper application of pressure to stop bleeding;

b. The proper application of dressings or bandages;

c. Additional pressure techniques to control bleeding; and

d. The correct application of tourniquets;

(d) Require each bleeding control kit in school inventories to be inspected annually to ensure that the materials, supplies, and equipment contained in the bleeding control kit have not expired and that any expired materials, supplies, and equipment are replaced as necessary; and

(e) Require a bleeding control kit to be restocked after each use and any materials, supplies, and equipment to be replaced as necessary to ensure that the bleeding control kit contains all necessary materials, supplies, and equipment.

4. (1) The department shall, in collaboration with the United States Department of Homeland Security and the state department of public safety, include requirements in the traumatic blood loss protocol for school personnel to receive annual training in the use of bleeding control kits.

(2) The training requirements shall be satisfied by successful completion and certification under the "STOP THE BLEED" course as promulgated by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma or the American Red Cross.

(3) The training requirements may allow online instruction.

5. (1) A bleeding control kit may contain any additional items that:

(a) Are approved by emergency medical services personnel, as such term is defined in section 190.600 ;

(b) Can adequately treat an injury involving traumatic blood loss; and

(c) Can be stored in a readily available kit.

(2) Quantities of each item required to be in a bleeding control kit may be determined by each school district.

6. (1) The department and each school district and charter school shall maintain information regarding the traumatic blood loss protocol and the Stop the Bleed national awareness campaign on each entity's website.

(2) Upon request by a school district or a charter school, the department may, in collaboration with the department of public safety, direct the school district or charter school to resources that are available to provide bleeding control kits to the school district or charter school.

7. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, each school district and charter school shall implement the traumatic blood loss protocol developed under this section before the end of the 2025-26 school year.

(2) The requirements that a bleeding control kit be placed as required in paragraph (a) of subdivision (2) of subsection 3 of this section, that each kit be restocked as necessary, and that school personnel receive training under this section shall be subject to an appropriation by the general assembly to cover all costs related to such requirements.

(3) Any school district or charter school may receive donations of funds for the purchase of bleeding control kits that meet the requirements of this section and may receive donations of bleeding control kits that meet the requirements of this section.

8. This section shall not be construed to create a cause of action against a school district, a charter school, or any school personnel. Any school personnel who in good faith use a bleeding control kit as provided by this section shall be immune from all civil liability for any act or omission in the use of a bleeding control kit unless the act or omission constitutes gross negligence or willful, wanton, or intentional misconduct.

(L. 2025 S.B. 68)