BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1451
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Date of Hearing: March 28, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AB 1451 (Hayashi) - As Amended: March 19, 2012
SUBJECT : High school athletics: coaching education program.
SUMMARY : Adds new requirements to the California High School
Coaching Education and Training Program (HSCTP) for training on
understanding the signs and symptoms of concussions and the
appropriate response to concussions.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the California High School Coaching Education and
Training Program and Legislative intent that the program
emphasize the following components:
a) Development of coaching philosophies consistent with the
goals of the school, school district, and school district
governing board.
b) Sport psychology.
c) Sport pedagogy.
d) Sport physiology including principles of training and
the harmful effects associated with the use of steroids.
e) Sport management.
f) Training certification in CPR and first aid.
g) Knowledge of and adherence to statewide rules and
regulations, as well as school regulations including, but
not necessarily limited to, eligibility, gender equity, and
discrimination.
h) Sound planning and goal setting. (Education Code
35179.1)
2)Requires each high school sports coach to complete a coaching
education program developed by his or her school district or
the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) that meets the
guidelines set forth in Section 35179.1 by December 31, 2008.
(Education Code 49032)
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, in an analysis on a similar bill, potential General
Fund/Proposition 98 state reimbursable mandated costs, likely
between $188,000 and $470,000, to school districts to pay for
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the cost of a coach attending the training program. While the
bill does require that each high school coach is responsible for
the cost of the course, it is not unreasonable to assume that as
part of their employment contracts with school districts high
school coaches are reimbursed for the cost of training.
COMMENTS : This bill requires additional training for high
school sports coaches on understanding the signs and symptoms of
concussions and the appropriate response to concussions.
Coaches Training : Currently CIF offers training programs to
high school coaches who receive a certificate upon course
completion (typically an eight hour class). To date more than
60,000 coaches have taken the training, which costs
approximately $60 per person. Some school districts pay for the
program while others require the coach to pay for it. The
completed certificate is transferable between school districts.
CIF's coaches training program under the HSCTP does not
currently include instruction on concussions. CIF currently
offers a free online concussion training course for coaches
where they receive an immediate printed certification upon
completion. Of the 67,929 coaches in California, 5,323 have
taken the online course.
Currently, coaches must complete a CPR/First Aid course and
renew that training every two years. Because this bill includes
training on concussions as part of the CPR/First Aid training
requirement, coaches will be required to receive updated
concussion training every two years as well. This renewal
requirement is important because the strategies for dealing with
head injuries are often changing.
According to a nationwide study published in the Journal of
Athletic Training, football has the highest rate of concussions
in high school sports with 47 concussions occurring per 100,000
player games or practices. Girl's soccer has the second highest
rate of concussions in high school sports with 36 concussions
occurring per 100,000 player games or practices. Boys soccer
and girls basketball have the third and fourth highest rate of
concussions in high school sports with 22 and 21 concussions per
100,000 player games or practices, respectively. In the sport
of football alone, since 1997, at least 50 high school or
younger athletes have been killed or sustained serious head
injuries on the field.
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The National Federation of State High School Associations
reports that participation in high school sports continues to
increase, with more than 7 million high school students
participating in 2005-2006. Concussions are a serious and
growing public health issue for athletes involved in contact
sports - an estimated 300,000 sport-related traumatic brain
injuries, predominantly concussions, occur annually in the
United States. Even more troubling, studies show as many as 20%
of all high school football players sustain concussions
annually.
Scientific studies have raised concerns about the long-term
impacts of head injuries in sports. Although most headlines
focus on the deterioration of major football stars, youth are
also gravely at risk because of their developing brains.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), upwards of 3
million sports- and recreation- related concussions occur in the
United States each year. Football is the leading cause for high
school males, and soccer for females.
Concussions can occur in any sport and all concussions are
serious. Concussions are often difficult to identify because
they can occur without loss of consciousness. A repeat
concussion that occurs before the brain recovers from the
first-usually within a short period of time can result in brain
swelling, permanent brain damage, and even death. According to
the CDC, this condition is called second impact syndrome (SIS).
The American College of Sports Medicine estimated last year that
85% of all concussions among high school athletes go
undiagnosed, meaning many high school athletes are exposing
themselves to the risk of SIS.
Previous legislation :
AB 1646 (Hayashi) in 2010, which was held on the Assembly
Appropriations Committee suspense file, would have required
training for coaches to be able to identify symptoms of head and
neck injury. The additional training would have been
incorporated into coaches' first aid certification renewal.
AB 1647 (Hayashi) which was vetoed by the Governor in 2010,
would have established certification and training requirements
for athletic trainers. The bill would have also prohibited
individuals from calling themselves athletic trainers unless
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they met those requirements.
The Governor vetoed this bill with the following message:
This bill is similar to legislation I have vetoed twice
before in the past because there is no evidence that
regulating the use of the term "certified athletic trainer"
poses any threat to the public health and safety.
AB 1893 (Hayashi) which was held in the Assembly Education
Committee in 2010, would have required all high school spirit
activities (HSSA) coaches to have valid certification in CPR and
first aid, including an understanding of signs, symptoms, and
appropriate emergency action steps regarding potentially
catastrophic injury, including but not limited to, head and neck
injury and concussion. Pupils participating in HSSA who
experience or show signs of trauma or other injury would have
needed to obtain a release from the treating provider before
resuming spirit activities.
AB 533 (Hayashi) in 2009, which was held on the Assembly
Appropriations Committee suspense file, would have required
training for coaches to be able to identify symptoms of head and
neck injury. The training would have been incorporated into
coaches' first aid certification renewal.
AB 2741 (Miller) Chapter 744, Statutes of 1998, established the
1998 California High School Coaching and Education Program to be
administered by school districts and to emphasize, among other
things, sport psychology, sport pedagogy, sport physiology, CPR,
and first aid.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Red Cross
California Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Opposition
None on file.
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Analysis Prepared by : Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087