McKinney ISD adds cardiac-response protections at 12 campuses

McKinney ISD announced July 21, 2026, that 12 campuses had earned Project ADAM Heart Safe School designations, marking the first phase of a districtwide cardiac-safety rollout. Community Impact published independent local coverage of the development on July 24.

The designated campuses have established cardiac emergency response teams, placed automated external defibrillators for visible and rapid access, trained staff in CPR and AED use, and conducted live or unannounced cardiac-response drills. The measures are intended to organize the initial response during the period before emergency medical services arrive.

The 12 campuses with Heart Safe designations

The first group includes Burks Elementary, Caldwell Dual Language Academy, Glen Oaks Elementary, Lawson Early Childhood School, Minshew Elementary, Press Elementary, Reuben Johnson Elementary, Walker Elementary, Wilmeth Elementary, Dowell Middle School, Evans Middle School and Scott Johnson Middle School.

The designations do not mean every McKinney ISD campus has completed the program. The district describes the 12-campus effort as an initial phase and has stated a goal of certifying all campuses by the end of the 2026-27 school year.

What the Project ADAM designation covers

Project ADAM is a school cardiac-safety framework focused on written emergency procedures, trained response teams, AED availability, staff preparation and practice drills. The designation is separate from the requirements imposed by Texas law. The Heart Safe School label is not itself the state’s legal standard or implementation deadline.

For families, staff and visitors at the 12 campuses, the practical change is a more formalized response structure if someone experiences a cardiac emergency at school. That includes identifying personnel who can respond, ensuring equipment can be located quickly, and practicing the steps through drills. The available sources do not document cardiac-event outcomes at the campuses or establish that the program has already changed survival rates in McKinney.

How Senate Bill 865 fits in

Texas Senate Bill 865, known as the Landon Payton Act, requires school districts to develop and implement cardiac emergency response plans and establish cardiac emergency response teams. The law also addresses activation procedures, plan distribution, ongoing first-aid, CPR and AED training, annual cardiac-response drills and annual review of the plan.

The enrolled bill text makes the requirements applicable beginning with the 2025-26 school year and requires implementation no later than the first instructional day of the 2027-28 school year. The law requires the emergency-planning components; it does not require districts to use the Project ADAM name unless they separately choose to pursue that designation.

What parents and staff should watch for

McKinney ISD is expected to identify additional campuses as the rollout continues. Parents and employees can watch for district announcements explaining which schools have completed the next phases, how campus cardiac plans are communicated, and how training and drills are handled.

The immediate confirmed change applies to the 12 listed campuses. The broader district goal remains future work, with completion targeted by the end of the 2026-27 school year.

Sources

• McKinney ISD announcement
• Community Impact McKinney report
• Texas Senate Bill 865 enrolled text
• Cook Children's Project ADAM overview