BILL ANALYSIS
AB 533
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 1, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AB 533 (Hayashi) - As Introduced: February 25, 2009
SUBJECT : Training for high school coaches.
SUMMARY : Adds new requirements to the California High School
Coaching Education and Training Program for training on
recognizing and managing the signs and symptoms of potentially
catastrophic injuries; emergency action planning; communicating
effectively with 911 emergency services; and, requires high
school sports coaches to complete a coaching education program
by December 31, 2010. Specifically, this bill :
1)Adds new requirements to the California High School Coaching
Education and Training Program for training on:
a) recognizing and managing the signs and symptoms of
potentially catastrophic injuries, including, but not
limited to, head and neck injuries, concussions, second
impact syndrome, asthma attacks, heatstroke, and cardiac
arrest;
b) emergency action planning; and,
c) communicating effectively with 911 emergency services.
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 that meets the
guidelines set forth in Section 35179.1 by December 31, 2010.
3)Adds Legislative findings and declarations related to the
seriousness of concussions and how the competitive athletic
culture of playing through pain can put athletes at serious
risk.
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
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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 Section
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 that meets the
guidelines set forth in Section 35179.1 by December 31, 2008.
(Education Code Section 49032)
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill requires additional training for high
school sports coaches on recognizing and managing the signs and
symptoms of potentially catastrophic injuries, including, head
and neck injuries, concussions, second impact syndrome, asthma
attacks, heatstroke, and cardiac arrest in addition to training
on emergency action planning and, communicating effectively with
911 emergency services. Existing training programs for coaches
are required to provide training on CPR and first aid and the
current CIF training provides some training with regard to
concussions. Existing law does not specifically require
training on head and neck injuries, asthma, heatstroke and
cardiac arrest.
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.
According to a nationwide study published in the Journal of
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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.
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.
According to the author, ABC News has reported that kids only
report 1 out of 10 concussions. Competitive coaches, who are
not required to be trained in concussion management, may push
players back onto the field too soon. Players are often
reluctant to report head trauma due to strong team spirit and a
warrior mentality - their life goals may revolve around
athletics and they don't want to lose playing time. The
competitive interscholastic culture of playing through pain or
'toughing it out' can put high school athletes at serious risk
because concussions can have a devastating cumulative effect
-allowing an athlete to return to play too early after a
concussion increases the chance of a more serious brain injury.
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
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undiagnosed, meaning many high school athletes are exposing
themselves to the risk of SIS.
Awareness about the prevention, identification, and treatment of
concussions among coaches, athletes, and parents of athletes is
currently lacking. According to an alarming new study by
Nationwide Children's Hospital's Center for Injury Research and
Policy, from 2005 to 2008, 41% of concussed athletes in 100 high
schools across the U.S. returned to play too soon, under
guidelines set out by the American Academy of Neurology.
Committee Amendments : Staff recommends the bill be amended to
specify that the first aid and CPR training certification should
be issued by the American Red Cross, American Heart Association
or another organization that provides equivalent training.
Staff recommends the bill be further amended to specify that
coaches should be trained in the basic understanding of these
injuries as well as recognizing and managing these injuries as
part of their first aid training. Staff recommends the bill be
amended to clarify that coaches shall undergo training in these
new areas when they regularly renew their certifications after
the operative date.
Previous legislation : AB 2165 (Karnette) from 2008 would have
required public and private K-12 schools, community colleges,
colleges, and universities to consider imposing the requirement
that students wear a fitted mouth guard while engage in an
athletic competition in football, basketball, soccer, wrestling,
field hockey and lacrosse. This bill passed the Assembly
Education Committee with a vote of 8-0. The August 18, 2008
amendments deleted the contents of this bill and added language
outside the jurisdiction of the Assembly Education Committee.
SB 37 (Speier) Chapter 673, Statutes of 2005, added instruction
on the harmful effects associated with the use of steroids and
performance-enhancing dietary supplements by adolescents to the
mandatory high school coaches training program. SB 37 also
required, effective December 31, 2008, each high school sports
coach to complete a coaching education program developed by his
or her school district or the California Interscholastic
Federation that meets the guidelines set forth in Section
35179.1. The bill also specified that each high school sports
coach is responsible for the costs of taking the course.
AB 2741 (Miller) Chapter 744, Statutes of 1998, established the
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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 Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME)
California Brain Injury Association
MomsTeam
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087