Two Pieces of Legislation to Protect Student Athletes Pass the House Unanimously
State Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-105) today applauded unanimous passage of two bills she introduced and championed that will protect student athletes by mandating that coaches have specific exertional heat illness training, and by establishing emergency action plans to make sure schools have clear procedures to respond in case of a serious illness or accident.
“As a certified athletic trainer I am focused on preventing injury and helping our student athletes heal if an injury does occur. These important pieces of legislation will provide an extra level of safety for student athletes during sporting events and practices that occur after regular school hours,” Rep. Klarides-Ditria said. “I want to thank the Connecticut Athletic Trainers’ Association, Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) and the Korey Stringer Institute for their work, guidance and commitment to provide continued education on these issues.”
House Bill 6492 – An Act Concerning Education and Training in Exertional Heat Illness for Coaches, Parents, Guardians and Students – mandates coaches “complete an exertional heat illness awareness education program prior to commencing the coaching assignment for the season of such intramural or interscholastic athletics,” and tasks the “governing authority for intramural and interscholastic athletics, in consultation with an appropriate organization representing licensed athletic trainers, (and) an organization representing sports medical doctors” with establishing best practices and exertional heat illness awareness education programs for use statewide.
Similarly, House Bill 6534 – An Act Concerning Emergency Action Plans (EAP) for Interscholastic and Intermural Events mandates that boards of education, “in consultation with local emergency medical services providers and allied health professionals, shall develop and implement an emergency action plan for responding to serious and life-threatening sports-related injuries that occur during interscholastic and intramural athletic events.” Those procedures will define who oversees the EAP, what resources are available, descriptions of specific procedures and policies, and more.
“Having an up-to-date Emergency Action Plan can make all the difference when a catastrophic injury occurs, and making sure coaches have the proper training and knowledge to respond to emergency situations will increase everyone’s safety,” Rep. Klarides-Ditria said. “It’s important to understand that exertional heat illness can be a silent killer and knowing the warning signs and providing immediate treatment, including utilizing the school’s EAP to contact the proper emergency responders, can be the difference between life and death.”
Both measures passed the House unanimously and have been sent to the Senate where they await further action. The legislative session ends at midnight on Wednesday, June 9th.