A Wisconsin bill backed by the NFL, Green Bay Packers and a host of medical institutions was set to become the toughest in the country. But the bill, passed by the state Assembly last November, is currently stalled in the Senate, where it is losing strength.
The original bill directed the Department of Public Instruction and Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association to collaborate and develop guidelines for educating coaches, athletes and their families about the risks of head injury in sports as well as create a "model emergency plan that addresses concussions and other head injuries for use by school districts and other operators of youth athletic activities."
The amended bill would put school districts in charge of developing concussion-education policies and emergency plans, and also delete language requiring that a player with a suspected head injury be removed from play and require a healthcare provider's clearance before returning to play, a common element in similar legislation passed by other states.
While WIAA member schools are already required to get physician clearance before an athlete suspected of head injury can return to play, the concern is what the changes mean for players and coaches of club and other non-school youth sports. The baseline testing for concussions, and 56 percent indicated that their program offered any kind of concussion education for the parents of players.
The amendment to the Wisconsin bill omits any education or policy requirements for club and other recreational organizations, and would also remove a requirement that coaches send home an informational sheet on concussions to be signed and returned by a parent, though each school district could theoretically add such a provision.
With the passage of its concussion bill, Wisconsin would join 31 other states that have legislation addressing youth head injuries in sports. Another 14 states are currently considering legislation, with more states debating bills to strengthen existing legislation.
