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.