Florida Senate - 2012 CS for CS for SB 256
By the Committees on Budget; and Budget Subcommittee on
Education Pre-K - 12 Appropriations; and Senator Flores
576-04504-12 2012256c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to youth athletes; amending ss.
3 943.0438 and 1006.20, F.S.; requiring an independent
4 sanctioning authority for youth athletic teams and the
5 Florida High School Athletic Association to adopt
6 guidelines, bylaws, and policies relating to the
7 nature and risk of concussion and head injury in youth
8 athletes; requiring informed consent for participation
9 in practice or competition; requiring removal from
10 practice or competition under certain circumstances
11 and written medical clearance to return; requiring the
12 Florida High School Athletic Association to adopt
13 bylaws for the establishment and duties of a sports
14 medicine advisory committee; specifying membership;
15 providing an effective date.
16
17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Paragraphs (e), (f), and (g) are added to
20 subsection (2) of section 943.0438, Florida Statutes, to read:
21 943.0438 Athletic coaches for independent sanctioning
22 authorities.—
23 (2) An independent sanctioning authority shall:
24 (e) Adopt guidelines to educate athletic coaches,
25 officials, administrators, and youth athletes and their parents
26 or guardians of the nature and risk of concussion and head
27 injury.
28 (f) Adopt bylaws or policies that require the parent or
29 guardian of a youth who is participating in athletic competition
30 or who is a candidate for an athletic team to sign and return an
31 informed consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion
32 and head injury, including the risk of continuing to play after
33 concussion or head injury, each year before participating in
34 athletic competition or engaging in any practice, tryout,
35 workout, or other physical activity associated with the youth’s
36 candidacy for an athletic team.
37 (g) Adopt bylaws or policies that require each youth
38 athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head
39 injury in a practice or competition to be immediately removed
40 from the activity. A youth athlete who has been removed from an
41 activity may not return to practice or competition until the
42 youth submits to the athletic coach a written medical clearance
43 to return stating that the youth athlete no longer exhibits
44 signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion or
45 other head injury. Medical clearance must be authorized by the
46 appropriate health care practitioner trained in the diagnosis,
47 evaluation, and management of concussions as defined by the
48 Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Florida High School
49 Athletic Association.
50 Section 2. Paragraphs (e), (f), (g), and (h) are added to
51 subsection (2) of section 1006.20, Florida Statutes, to read:
52 1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
53 (2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS, POLICIES, OR GUIDELINES.—
54 (e) The organization shall adopt guidelines to educate
55 athletic coaches, officials, administrators, and student
56 athletes and their parents of the nature and risk of concussion
57 and head injury.
58 (f) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that
59 require the parent of a student who is participating in
60 interscholastic athletic competition or who is a candidate for
61 an interscholastic athletic team to sign and return an informed
62 consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion and head
63 injury, including the risk of continuing to play after
64 concussion or head injury, each year before participating in
65 interscholastic athletic competition or engaging in any
66 practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity associated
67 with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic
68 team.
69 (g) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that
70 require each student athlete who is suspected of sustaining a
71 concussion or head injury in a practice or competition to be
72 immediately removed from the activity. A student athlete who has
73 been removed from an activity may not return to practice or
74 competition until the student submits to the school a written
75 medical clearance to return stating that the student athlete no
76 longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a
77 concussion or other head injury. Medical clearance must be
78 authorized by the appropriate health care practitioner trained
79 in the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of concussions as
80 defined by the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Florida
81 High School Athletic Association.
82 (h) The organization shall adopt bylaws for the
83 establishment and duties of a sports medicine advisory committee
84 composed of the following members:
85 1. Eight physicians licensed under chapter 458 or chapter
86 459 with at least one member licensed under chapter 459.
87 2. One chiropractor licensed under chapter 460.
88 3. One podiatrist licensed under chapter 461.
89 4. One dentist licensed under chapter 466.
90 5. Three athletic trainers licensed under part XIII of
91 chapter 468.
92 6. One member who is a current or retired head coach of a
93 high school in the state.
94 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.