Crosby ISD is celebrating a major honor this month, a distinction that has taken about five years of hard work to achieve. Crosby ISD is the first district in the Houston-area to complete “Heart Safe School” training for every campus, giving us a “Heart Safe District” designation. Project A.D.A.M. awards the distinction based on 12 steps each district must complete, including a team certified in CPR and AED use. Project A.D.A.M. is named after a student who died in 1999 in Wisconsin. A.D.A.M. stands for Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory.

The champions for heart health in Crosby ISD are Scott and Melody Stephens. Their youngest child Cody died in May 2012 at age 18, just 3 weeks before graduating from Crosby High School. Cody died from Sudden Cardiac Arrest – the number one killer of student-athletes. In the last 10 years, the Stephens have helped save more than the 100 lives through the Cody Stephens Foundation. They pushed for “Cody’s Law” (HB 76), which gives parents the option to have their students undergo an E-C-G (or Echocardiogram) as part of their physicals. The heart screening can detect underlying issues in 80% of cases. Melody Stephens has trained CPR teams in Crosby schools over the last decade, and AED’s are now at every campus in Crosby ISD, including Cougar Stadium and the baseball/softball complex.

“Cody would be really proud of his district for making sure everybody else is safe,” said Melody Stephens in a video featured at this month’s Crosby ISD Board of Trustees meeting. Mrs. Stephens was recognized as Crosby ISD’s community member of the month for November. “(All these efforts) are not just for students. It’s for visitors and grandparents. No one plans a cardiac arrest or a heart attack.” At the same ceremony, Crosby High School and Drew Elementary School received banners for achieving the “Heart Safe School” designation. All seven campuses and the entire district are now considered “Heart Safe.”

The use of CPR and AED’s can double or triple the chances of survival or having a better outcome from a heart attack or cardiac arrest.Crosby ISD Superintendent Paula Patterson said: “We could not be prouder to be the first district in our region to achieve the ‘Heart Safe District’ distinction. Our nurses and campus administrators have worked diligently over the last five years, partly during a pandemic, to reach this. The Stephens have been key partners in ensuring anyone who comes to a game or an event at any Crosby ISD facility can get help within seconds.”

“Cody was an upstanding student, so his death was such a tragedy,” said Crosby High School nurse Tanya Murphy. “But it brought so much awareness. It’s going to save so many lives in the future.”

You can also read more in this Houston Chronicle article.