BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1451
Author: Hayashi (D)
Amended: 6/15/12 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 5/16/12
AYES: Lowenthal, Blakeslee, Hancock, Huff, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Alquist, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 4/12/12 (Consent) - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : High School Coaching Education and Training
Program
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill adds a component regarding the
identification of concussions to the first aid training
that high school athletic coaches are required to complete.
This bill authorizes concussion training may be fulfilled
through entities offering free, online, or other types of
training courses.
Senate Floor Amendments of 6/15/12 clarify that coaches may
receive training on the identification of concussions
through entities offering free courses.
ANALYSIS :
CONTINUED
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Existing law:
1. Requires each high school sports coach to complete a
coaching education program developed by the employing
school district or the California Interscholastic
Federation (CIF) that meets the guidelines described in
#2 below.
2. States that it is the intent of the Legislature to
establish the California High School Coaching Education
and Training Program (Program), to be administered by
school districts and 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, specifically certification in CPR and
first aid.
G. Knowledge of and adherence to statewide rules and
regulations, as well as school regulations including
eligibility, gender equity, and discrimination.
H. Sound planning and goal setting.
3. Requires a school district that elects to offer an
athletic program to comply with both of the following:
A. Immediately remove for the remainder of the day
from athletic activity an athlete who is suspected of
sustaining a concussion or head injury, and prohibit
the pupil from returning to the activity until he/she
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is evaluated by a licensed health care provider who
has been trained in the management of concussions.
B. Require, on an annual basis, a concussion and head
injury information sheet to be signed and returned by
the athlete and the athlete's parent before the
athlete's may practice or compete.
The CIF's Bylaw 313 requires a student-athlete who is
suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in a
practice or game to be removed from competition at that
time for the remainder of the day. A student-athlete who
has been removed from play is prohibited from returning to
play until the athlete is evaluated by a licensed health
care provider trained in education and management of
concussion and receives written clearance to return to play
from that health care provider. A Question and Answer is
listed below Bylaw 313, indicating that the scope of
practice for a "licensed health care provider" will limit
the evaluation to a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy.
This bill requires the existing first aid training pursuant
to the Program to include a basic understanding of the
signs and symptoms of concussions and the appropriate
response to concussions. This bill authorizes concussion
training may be fulfilled through entities offering free,
online, or other types of training courses.
Comments
Coaches training . Currently the 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 Program does not currently
include instruction on concussions. However, CIF does
offer a free online concussion training course for coaches
where the coach receives an immediate printed certification
upon completion.
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Some school districts offer training opportunities.
Existing law requires coaches training, whether offered by
a district, CIF, or organizations such as the Red Cross, to
meet the criteria of the Program.
Currently, coaches must complete a CPR/first aid course and
renew that training every one to three years, depending on
which entity provides the training. 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 one to three
years as well.
Related/Prior Legislation
AB 1449 (Hayashi) would have required the Superintendent of
Public Instruction to develop and make available on the
California Department of Education's Web site a concussion
and head injury information sheet that a school district
may use to send to a student athlete's parent or guardian
for signature. The bill was never heard.
AB 1646 (Hayashi, 2010) and AB 533 (Hayashi, 2009) each
would have required training for athletic coaches in the
identification of symptoms of head and neck injury. Both
bills were held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee's
suspense file.
AB 1893 (Hayashi, 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 been
required to obtain a release from the treating provider
before resuming spirit activities. The bill was never
heard.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
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SUPPORT : (Verified 6/19/12)
American Academy of Pediatrics
California Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance
California Athletic Trainers Association
California Chapters of the American Red Cross
Los Angeles County Office of Education
California Teachers Association
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "What may
appear to be a minor blow to the head can have serious,
even fatal, consequences. Emerging studies indicate that
high school athletes are at risk of suffering from sleep
disorders, memory loss, mental fatigue, depression or even
suicide as a result of head injuries sustained in sports.
While not all head injuries can be prevented, the effects
can be mitigated by knowing when it is safe to return to
play. Currently, the only mandatory injury-related
training for high school coaches in California is
certification in CPR and first aid. This bill incorporates
concussion-related training into these existing
requirements."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 4/12/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng,
Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani,
Gatto, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey,
Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue, Ma, Mansoor,
Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Nestande, Nielsen,
Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao,
Wagner, Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Cedillo, Cook, Fletcher, Garrick,
Gordon, Bonnie Lowenthal, Morrell, Norby, Wieckowski
PQ:k 6/20/12 Senate Floor Analyses
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SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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