AB 2007, as amended, McCarty. Youth athletics: youth sports organizations: concussions or other head injuries.
Existing law requires a school district, charter school, or private school, if it offers an athletic program, to immediately remove an athlete from an athletic activity for the remainder of the day if the athlete is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury, and prohibits the athlete from returning to the athletic activity until the athlete is evaluated by a licensed health care provider, trained in the management of concussions, and acting within the scope of his or her practice, and the athlete receives written clearance from the licensed health care provider to return to the athletic activity. Existing law also requires, on a yearly basis, a concussion and head injury information sheet to be signed and returned by the athlete and athlete’s parent or guardian before the athlete’s initiating practice or competition.
This bill would apply these provisions to athletes participating in youth sports organizations, as defined to include organizations, businesses, nonprofit entities, or local governmental agencies that sponsor or conduct amateur sports competitions, training, camps, or clubs in which persons 17 years of age or younger participate in any of 25 designated sports. The bill would require youth sports organizations to notify the parents or guardians of athletes 17 years of age or younger who have been removed from athletic activities due to suspected concussions, as specified. The bill would require youth sports organizations to offer concussion and head injury education, or related educational materials, or both, to each of their coaches and administrators on a yearly basis, as prescribed. The bill would require each of these coaches and administrators to successfully complete the concussion and head injury education offered under the bill at least once either online or in person.
The bill would also require a youth sports organization to identify an individual within the organization who is responsible for ensuring compliance by the organization with the bill’s requirements for providing concussion and head injury education. The bill would additionally require the youth sports organization to identify procedures to ensure compliance with the athlete removal provisions and the return-to-play protocol, as specified. The bill would specify that it applies to all persons participating in the activities of a youth sports organization, irrespective of their ages.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 124235)
2is added to Chapter 4 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and
3Safety Code, to read:
4
(a) A youth sports organization that elects to offer an
8athletic program shall comply with all of the following:
9(1) An athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or
10other head injury in an athletic activity shall be immediately
11removed from the athletic activity for the remainder of the day,
12and shall not be permitted to return to any athletic activity until
13he or she is evaluated by a licensed health care provider. The athlete
P3 1shall not be permitted to return to athletic activity until he or she
2receives written clearance to return to athletic activity from a
3licensed health care provider. If the licensed health care provider
4determines that the athlete
sustained a concussion or other head
5injury, the athlete shall also complete a graduated return-to-play
6protocol of no less than seven days in duration under the
7supervision of a licensed health care provider.
8(2) If an athlete who is 17 years of age or younger has been
9removed from athletic activity due to a suspected concussion, the
10youth sports organization shall notify a parent or guardian of that
11athlete of the time and date of the injury, the symptoms observed,
12and any treatment provided to that athlete for the injury.
13(3) On a yearly basis, the youth sports organization shall give
14
a concussion and head injury information sheet to each athlete.
15The information sheet shall be signed and returned by the athlete
16and, if the athlete is 17 years of age or younger, shall also be signed
17by the athlete’s parent or guardian, before the athlete initiates
18practice or competition. The information sheet may be sent and
19returned through an electronic medium including, but not
20necessarily limited to, fax or electronic mail.
21(4) On a yearly basis, the youth sports organization shall offer
22concussion and head injury education, or related educational
23materials, or both, to each coach and administrator of the youth
24sports organization.begin delete Each coach and administrator shall be required
25to successfully complete the concussion and head injury education
26offered pursuant to this paragraph at least once, either online or in
27person, before supervising an athlete in an activity of the youth
28sports organization.end delete
29
(5) Each coach and administrator shall be required to
30successfully complete the concussion and head injury education
31offered pursuant to paragraph (4) at least once, either online or
32in person, before supervising an athlete in an activity of the youth
33sports organization.
34(5)
end delete
35begin insert(end insertbegin insert6)end insert The youth sports organization shall identify both of the
36following:
37(A) An individual within the organization
who is responsible
38for ensuring compliance by the organization with the requirements
39for providing concussion and head injury education contained in
40paragraph (4).
P4 1(B) Procedures to ensure compliance with the athlete removal
2provisions and the return-to-play protocol required pursuant to
3paragraph (1).
4(b) As used in this article, all of the following shall apply:
5(1) “Concussion and head injury education and educational
6materials” and a “concussion and head injury information sheet”
7shall, at a minimum, include information relating to all of the
8following:
9(A) Head injuries and their potential consequences.
10(B) The signs and symptoms of a concussion.
11(C) Best practices for removal of an athlete from an athletic
12activity after a suspected concussion.
13(D) Steps for returning an athlete to school and athletic activity
14after a concussion or head injury.
15(2) “Licensed health care provider” means a licensed health
16care provider who is trained in the evaluation and management of
17concussions and is acting within the scope of his or her practice.
18(3) “Youth sports organization” means an organization, business,
19nonprofit entity, or a local governmental agency that sponsors or
20conducts amateur sports competitions,
training, camps, or clubs
21in which persons 17 years of age or younger
participate in any of
22the following sports:
23(A) Baseball.
24(B) Basketball.
25(C) Bicycle motocross (BMX).
26(D) Boxing.
27(E) Competitive cheerleading.
28(F) Contact martial arts.
end delete29(G)
end delete30begin insert(F)end insert Diving.
31(H)
end delete32begin insert(G)end insert Equestrian activities.
33(I)
end delete34begin insert(H)end insert Field hockey.
35(J)
end delete36begin insert(I)end insert Football.
begin insert
37
(J) Full contact martial arts.
38(K) Gymnastics.
39(L) Ice hockey.
40(M) Lacrosse.
P5 1(N) Parkour.
2(O) Rodeo.
3(P) Roller derby.
4(Q) Rugby.
5(R) Skateboarding.
6(S) Skiing.
7(T) Soccer.
8(U) Softball.
9(V) Surfing.
10(W) Volleyball.
11(X) Water polo.
12(Y) Wrestling.
13(c) This section shall apply to all persons participating in the
14activities of a youth sports organization, irrespective of their ages.
15This section shall not be construed to prohibit a youth sports
16organization, or any other appropriate entity, from adopting and
17
enforcing rules intended to provide a higher standard of safety for
18athletes than the standard established under this section.
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