A bill under consideration by the North Carolina Legislature would create new protocols to document and address sports injuries among the state’s middle and high school athletes.
House Bill 116, titled "Student Safety in Athletics," would require the State Board of Education and local boards to raise awareness and recognition of sudden cardiac arrest and heat-related illnesses, establish a public database on serious sports injuries, and enhance existing concussion safety protocols and emergency action plans, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
In addition, all head coaches and athletic directors in the state would be required to complete and maintain CPR certification.
If approved, the new standards could go into effect as early as next school year, with reporting requirements to begin Jan. 1, 2018.
“We are asking the state board to look at the areas where we have had some serious events and develop the guidelines and track the number of situations across the state where student athletes might be at higher risk,” Rep. Donny Lambeth, a co-sponsor of the bill, told the Journal.
A PDF of the bill can be accessed here.
