BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1893
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 21, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AB 1893 (Hayashi) - As Amended: March 2, 2010
SUBJECT : High school spirit activities.
SUMMARY : Requires, beginning July 1, 2011, all high school
spirit activities (HSSA) coaches to have a valid certification
in CPR and first aid and, establishes several requirements for
HSSA coaches and pupils including, but not limited to requiring
pupils participating in HSSA to have an annual medical
examination and receive proper training, and requiring HSSA
coaches to develop an emergency plan, as specified.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Defines HSSA to mean activities associated with leading or
directing the cheering of pupil and adult fans in support of
the interscholastic athletics and activities programs of a
public or accredited nonpublic school, including, but not
limited to games; practices; competitions; interscholastic
events; performances; training; and, clinics.
2)Defines HSSA coach to mean an employee or a volunteer who is
authorized by a high school to be responsible for leading a
school cheer team of pupil athletes.
3)Requires, beginning July 1, 2011, all HSSA coaches to have a
valid certification in CPR and first aid, including a basic
understanding of the signs, symptoms, and appropriate
emergency action steps regarding potentially catastrophic
injuries, including but not limited to, head and neck
injuries, concussions, second impact syndrome, asthma attacks,
heatstroke, and cardiac arrest; and, requires HSSA coaches to
be responsible for all costs of obtaining the safety
certification.
4)Requires pupils participating in HSSA to:
a) Have an annual medical examination and medical approval
to participate in spirit activities prior to participating
in spirit activities;
b) Receive proper training prior to attempting any
gymnastic or partner-type stunts; and,
c) Obtain consent from his or her parents to participate in
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spirit activities.
5)Prohibits pupils participating in HSSA from attempting stunts
that he or she is not capable of completing.
6)Requires HSSA coaches to:
a) Attend and supervise the HSSA, and
b) Have all participants emergency care cards in his or her
possession at all times.
7)Requires HSSA coaches to develop an emergency plan for dealing
with injuries likely to occur during spirit activities;
requires the plan to be in writing and available to staff and
participants; and, requires the emergency plan to include, but
not be limited to, provisions for CPR, first aid, and
obtaining immediate medical assistance and transportation.
8)Requires a first aid kit and quick access to ice to be
available, and emergency procedures to be followed if it is
not possible to have a physician and surgeon or athletic
trainer at a HSSA.
9)Requires HSSA participants who experience or show signs of
trauma or other injury to receive immediate medical attention
and obtain a release from the treating provider before
resuming spirit activities.
10)Requires a school to keep a copy of the safety certification
of each HSSA coach, and shall not authorize a person to coach
a HSSA until he or she has completed the safety certification.
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.
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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 that meets the
guidelines set forth in Section 35179.1 by December 31, 2008.
(Education Code 49032)
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill requires HSSA coaches to take CPR and
first aid training that is nearly identical to that which is
proposed for sports coaches (for interscholastic activities as
defined in Education Code 49032) in AB 1646 (Hayashi) and also
establishes several requirements for HSSA coaches and
participating pupils. The bill establishes different
requirements for HSSA coaches and pupils than existing
requirements for coaches and pupils in interscholastic
activities. Some of the requirements for HSSA coaches and
pupils established by this bill are more prescriptive than
existing requirements for interscholastic activities, while
other requirements are less prescriptive. These differences
appear to create a double standard. The committee should
consider whether it is appropriate to establish different
statutory safety-related requirements for different types of
after school activities that have risk of injury.
For example, this bill requires HSSA coaches to complete CPR and
first aid training, but does not require them to complete
general coaching training that sports coaches must complete.
This bill also requires HSSA coaches to be present during
activities and to have participant emergency cards with them
during the activities, both of which are not statutory
requirements of sports coaches, although it is common practice.
In addition, this bill requires participants to have an annual
medical screening and obtain parental consent to participate,
which are also not statutory requirements for participants in
interscholastic activities, although it is common practice.
While these activities are common practice and, are currently
included in the coaches training required pursuant to section
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49032, adding these requirements to statute will create new
reimbursable mandates for school districts.
Current law requires each high school sports coach to complete a
comprehensive coaching education program that includes safety
training. However, HSSAs are not a sanctioned sport by the
California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the governing body
of high school sports. Therefore, the decision whether to treat
a HSSA coach the same as a sports coach, and thus require the
same training and preparation, is determined on a school by
school basis. For this reason, many HSSA coaches are not
required to have any training.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has required
college cheerleading coaches to have safety certification since
2006, and 12 states have adopted a standardized coaching safety
program for high school cheerleading coaches.
According to the author, the Consumer Product Safety Commission
reported an estimated 4,954 cheerleading-related hospital
emergency room visits in 1980. By 2007, that number increased
to 26,786. Additionally, 15.1% of those injuries were to the
head and neck, causing 783 concussions, 308 contusions, 69
lacerations, and 1,122 internal injuries.
California High School Coaching Education and Training Program
(CETP) : This bill would require HSSA coaches to complete the
same CPR and first aid training outlined in the CETP, but does
not require HSSA coaches to complete the sport psychology,
pedagogy, physiology and management sections of the CETP. The
committee should consider whether HSSA coaches should receive
the same training as sports coaches.
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.
The CIF coaches training program includes instruction on many,
if not all, of the new requirements established by this bill.
The CIF training includes, but is not limited to, instruction on
the need for: pupils to obtain an annual medical examination,
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pupils to obtain parental informed consent prior to
participation, coaches to attend and supervise the activity,
coaches to carry the participants' emergency information with
them during the activity, and coaches to develop an emergency
plan. CIF is also in the process of adding a new piece to their
training program to require pupils to obtain a release from a
health care provider in order to return to play, after a pupil
is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury. By
requiring HSSA coaches to complete the CETP training, many of
the new statutory requirements established by this bill could be
addressed.
The American Red Cross offers CPR and first aid training at
various technical levels. On a local basis, the Red Cross
offers these courses to the public and the cost ranges from $55
to $60 for a CPR and first aid training class (approximately a
10 hour class) in the Sacramento area. The courses offered and
associated costs may vary by geographic region.
Other Activities : This bill expands the coaching training for
HSSA coaches, but what activities besides cheerleading would be
included? The committee should consider whether it is
appropriate to expand the coaches training for HSSA coaches
without also expanding training for coaches of other after
school activities that have risk of injury, such as dance team
and drill team, among others.
Technical Issues : This bill includes a few technical issues the
committee should consider. First, this bill requires a school
to keep the coach's certification records. The committee should
consider whether it is appropriate for an individual school to
keep this certification or whether the school district is a more
appropriate place for this certification record to be stored.
Second, this bill requires "accredited nonpublic schools" to
abide by these requirements. Since the existing sport coach
training requirements are only required for public schools, the
committee should consider whether it is appropriate to require
private schools to comply with the requirements in this measure.
Third, the bill requires HSSA coaches to complete a CPR/first
aid course that is similar, but not identical to the CPR/first
aid training course required for sport coaches. The HSSA coach
training does not specify what type of certification is
acceptable, such as one provided by the American Red Cross of
the American Heart Association, or an equivalent organization.
The HSSA coach training also does not include emergency action
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planning and communicating effectively with 911 emergency
services as one component of the training, like the training for
sport coaches. The committee should consider whether the
CPR/first aid course for HSSA coaches should be identical to the
CPR/first aid course for sport coaches.
Committee Amendments : Staff recommends the bill be amended to
make the training requirements for HSSA coaches the same as
sports coaches and contained in the same code section. This
could be accomplished by expanding the definition of high school
sports coach in Education Code section 49032 to include HSSA
coaches. Alternatively, the bill could be amended to required
HSSA coaches to receive the same training as sports coaches, but
deliniate these requirements in a separate code section. In
addition many, if not all, of the new requirements placed on
HSSA coaches and participants in this bill are already addressed
in the coaches training required in section 49032. Therefore,
staff also recommends sections 49011 through 49016 be deleted
from the bill to elimiate the additional new mandates on school
districts.
Related legislation : AB 1646 (Hayashi) from 2010, pending in the
Assembly Appropriations Committee, would add 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, 2011.
Previous legislation : AB 533 (Hayashi) from 2009, would have
added 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, required high school sports
coaches to complete a coaching education program by December 31,
2010. The bill was held on the Assembly Appropriations Suspense
File.
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.
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California State PTA
Consumer Attorneys of California
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Chelsea Kelley / ED. / (916) 319-2087