| 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; providing an |
| 12 | effective date. |
| 13 |
|
| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
|
| 16 | Section 1. Paragraphs (e), (f), and (g) are added to |
| 17 | subsection (2) of section 943.0438, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 18 | 943.0438 Athletic coaches for independent sanctioning |
| 19 | authorities.- |
| 20 | (2) An independent sanctioning authority shall: |
| 21 | (e) Adopt guidelines to educate athletic coaches, |
| 22 | officials, administrators, youth athletes, and their parents or |
| 23 | guardians of the nature and risk of concussion and head injury. |
| 24 | (f) Adopt bylaws or policies that require the parent or |
| 25 | guardian of a youth who is participating in athletic competition |
| 26 | or who is a candidate for an athletic team to sign and return an |
| 27 | informed consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion |
| 28 | and head injury, including the risk of continuing to play after |
| 29 | concussion or head injury, each year before participating in |
| 30 | athletic competition or engaging in any practice, tryout, |
| 31 | workout, or other physical activity associated with the youth's |
| 32 | candidacy for an athletic team. |
| 33 | (g) Adopt bylaws or policies that require each youth |
| 34 | athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head |
| 35 | injury in a practice or competition to be immediately removed |
| 36 | from the activity. A youth athlete who has been removed from an |
| 37 | activity may not return to practice or competition until the |
| 38 | youth receives written medical clearance to return stating that |
| 39 | the youth athlete no longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or |
| 40 | behaviors consistent with a concussion or other head injury. |
| 41 | Medical clearance must be authorized by the appropriate health |
| 42 | care professional trained in the diagnosis, evaluation, and |
| 43 | management of concussions as defined by the Sports Medicine |
| 44 | Advisory Committee of the Florida High School Athletic |
| 45 | Association. |
| 46 | Section 2. Paragraphs (e), (f), and (g) are added to |
| 47 | subsection (2) of section 1006.20, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 48 | 1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.- |
| 49 | (2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS.- |
| 50 | (e) The organization shall adopt guidelines to educate |
| 51 | athletic coaches, officials, administrators, student athletes, |
| 52 | and their parents of the nature and risk of concussion and head |
| 53 | injury. |
| 54 | (f) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that |
| 55 | require the parent of a student who is participating in |
| 56 | interscholastic athletic competition or who is a candidate for |
| 57 | an interscholastic athletic team to sign and return an informed |
| 58 | consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion and head |
| 59 | injury, including the risk of continuing to play after |
| 60 | concussion or head injury, each year before participating in |
| 61 | interscholastic athletic competition or engaging in any |
| 62 | practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity associated |
| 63 | with the student's candidacy for an interscholastic athletic |
| 64 | team. |
| 65 | (g) The organization shall adopt bylaws or policies that |
| 66 | require each student athlete who is suspected of sustaining a |
| 67 | concussion or head injury in a practice or competition to be |
| 68 | immediately removed from the activity. A student athlete who has |
| 69 | been removed from an activity may not return to practice or |
| 70 | competition until the student receives written medical clearance |
| 71 | to return stating that the student athlete no longer exhibits |
| 72 | signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion or |
| 73 | other head injury. Medical clearance must be authorized by the |
| 74 | appropriate health care professional trained in the diagnosis, |
| 75 | evaluation, and management of concussions as defined by the |
| 76 | Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Florida High School |
| 77 | Athletic Association. |
| 78 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012. |