Florida Senate - 2025               CS for CS for CS for SB 1070
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; Health Policy; and Education
       Pre-K - 12; and Senators Simon, Avila, and Arrington
       
       
       
       
       594-03202-25                                          20251070c3
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to electrocardiograms for student
    3         athletes; providing a short title; amending s.
    4         1002.20, F.S.; making technical changes; conforming
    5         provisions to changes made by the act; amending s.
    6         1006.20, F.S.; requiring the Florida High School
    7         Athletic Association (FHSAA) to adopt bylaws requiring
    8         all students to pass an electrocardiogram screening
    9         before participating in certain activities; requiring
   10         certain students to complete an electrocardiogram
   11         screening; authorizing FHSAA member schools to
   12         collaborate with certain entities to offer low cost or
   13         free electrocardiogram screenings; providing
   14         requirements for the form for reporting
   15         electrocardiogram results; providing requirements for
   16         a student to be granted an exception to the
   17         electrocardiogram requirement; requiring students
   18         seeking an exception to submit a form developed by the
   19         FHSAA before they may participate in an
   20         interscholastic activity; providing an effective date.
   21          
   22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   23  
   24         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Second Chance
   25  Act.”
   26         Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (17) of section
   27  1002.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   28         1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.—Parents of public
   29  school students must receive accurate and timely information
   30  regarding their child’s academic progress and must be informed
   31  of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12
   32  students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory
   33  rights including, but not limited to, the following:
   34         (17) ATHLETICS; PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL.—
   35         (b) Medical evaluation.Before participating in athletics,
   36  students must:
   37         1. Satisfactorily pass a medical evaluation each year
   38  before participating in athletics, unless the parent objects in
   39  writing based on religious tenets or practices, in accordance
   40  with the provisions of s. 1006.20(2)(d); and
   41         2. As applicable under s. 1006.20, receive an
   42  electrocardiogram, unless the parent objects in writing based on
   43  religious tenets or practices or secures a certificate of
   44  medical exception in accordance with s. 1006.20(2)(d).
   45         Section 3. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (2) of
   46  section 1006.20, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   47         1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
   48         (2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS, POLICIES, OR GUIDELINES.—
   49         (c)1. The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws that require all
   50  students participating or seeking to participate in
   51  interscholastic athletic competition or who are candidates for
   52  an interscholastic athletic team to satisfactorily pass a
   53  medical evaluation each year before participating in
   54  interscholastic athletic competition or engaging in any
   55  practice, tryout, workout, conditioning, or other physical
   56  activity associated with the student’s candidacy for an
   57  interscholastic athletic team, including activities that occur
   58  outside of the school year. Such medical evaluation may be
   59  administered only by a practitioner licensed under chapter 458,
   60  chapter 459, chapter 460, or s. 464.012 or registered under s.
   61  464.0123 and in good standing with the practitioner’s regulatory
   62  board.
   63         2. The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws that require all students
   64  participating or seeking to participate in interscholastic
   65  athletic competition to pass an electrocardiogram screening
   66  before participating in interscholastic athletic competition or
   67  engaging in any practice, tryout, workout, conditioning, or
   68  other physical activity associated with the student’s candidacy
   69  for an interscholastic athletic team, including activities that
   70  occur outside of the school year. The electrocardiogram
   71  screening must be conducted in accordance with standards
   72  established by the FHSAA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
   73  Beginning in the 2028-2029 school year, every high school
   74  student participating or seeking to participate in
   75  interscholastic athletic competition for the first time must
   76  complete at least one electrocardiogram screening. FHSAA member
   77  schools may collaborate with public and private entities to
   78  offer low cost or free electrocardiogram screenings for this
   79  purpose.
   80         3. The FHSAA bylaws must shall establish requirements for
   81  eliciting a student’s medical history and performing the medical
   82  evaluation and electrocardiogram required under this paragraph,
   83  which shall include a physical assessment of the student’s
   84  physical capabilities to participate in interscholastic athletic
   85  competition as contained in a uniform preparticipation physical
   86  evaluation and history form. The evaluation form must: shall
   87         a. Incorporate the recommendations of the American Heart
   88  Association for participation cardiovascular screening.
   89         b.and shall Provide a place for the signature of the
   90  practitioner performing the evaluation with an attestation that
   91  each examination procedure listed on the form was performed by
   92  the practitioner or by someone under the direct supervision of
   93  the practitioner. The form must shall also contain a place for
   94  the practitioner to indicate whether if a referral to another
   95  practitioner was made in lieu of completion of a certain
   96  examination procedure. The form must shall provide a place for
   97  the practitioner to whom the student was referred to complete
   98  the remaining sections and attest to that portion of the
   99  examination.
  100         c.The preparticipation physical evaluation form shall
  101  Advise students to complete a cardiovascular assessment and
  102  electrocardiogram, shall include information concerning
  103  alternative cardiovascular evaluation and diagnostic tests, and
  104  require the. results of such medical evaluation to must be
  105  provided to the school.
  106         d. Include a section to record either a medical clearance
  107  based on the results of the medical evaluation and
  108  electrocardiogram required under this paragraph, allowing the
  109  student to participate in interscholastic athletic competition,
  110  or recommendations for follow-up treatment by an appropriate
  111  health care practitioner trained in the diagnosis, evaluation,
  112  and management of cardiovascular abnormalities in athletes as
  113  defined by the FHSAA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
  114         4. A student is not eligible to participate, as provided in
  115  s. 1006.15(3), in any interscholastic athletic competition or
  116  engage in any practice, tryout, workout, or other physical
  117  activity associated with the student’s candidacy for an
  118  interscholastic athletic team until the results of the medical
  119  evaluation have been received and approved by the school.
  120         (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (c), a
  121  student shall be granted an exception to the electrocardiogram
  122  requirement if the parent of the student objects in writing to
  123  the student receiving an electrocardiogram because the
  124  electrocardiogram is contrary to his or her religious tenets or
  125  practices or if a physician licensed under chapter 458 or
  126  chapter 459 in good standing with the Board of Medicine or Board
  127  of Osteopathic Medicine, as applicable, provides a certificate
  128  of medical exception. A student may participate in
  129  interscholastic athletic competition or be a candidate for an
  130  interscholastic athletic team if the parent of the student
  131  objects in writing to the student undergoing a medical
  132  evaluation because such evaluation is contrary to his or her
  133  religious tenets or practices. However, in such case of any such
  134  exception or objection, there shall be no liability on the part
  135  of any person or entity in a position to otherwise rely on the
  136  results of such medical evaluation or electrocardiogram for any
  137  damages resulting from the student’s injury or death arising
  138  directly from the student’s participation in interscholastic
  139  athletics where an undisclosed medical condition that would have
  140  been revealed in the medical evaluation or electrocardiogram is
  141  a proximate cause of the injury or death. To exercise an
  142  exception or objection under this paragraph, a student must
  143  submit a standard form, developed by the FHSAA, to document
  144  exceptions granted under this paragraph which must be signed and
  145  notarized by a student’s parent or legal guardian and received
  146  by the FHSAA member school before a student may participate in
  147  any interscholastic activity.
  148         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.