Chapter 227
2011 -- S 0291 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/01/11
A N A C T
RELATING TO
EDUCATION - SCHOOL AND YOUTH PROGRAMS CONCUSSION ACT
Introduced By: Senators Felag, McCaffrey, DeVall, Lanzi, and Ottiano
Date Introduced: February 16, 2011
It is enacted by the
General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 16-91-2 and 16-91-3 of the General Laws
in Chapter 16-91 entitled
"School and Youth
Programs Concussion Act" are hereby amended to read as follows:
16-91-2.
Definitions. -- (a) For the purpose of this
section, the term "youth sports
programs" means any program organized for recreational
and/or athletic competition purposes by
any school district or by any school participating in
Rhode Island Interscholastic League
Competition, and whose participants are nineteen (19)
years of age or younger.
16-91-3.
School district's guidelines to be developed and implemented.
-- (a) The
department of education and the department of health shall work
in concert with the
interscholastic league Interscholastic
League to develop and promulgate guidelines to inform and
educate coaches, youth athletes, and their parents and/or
guardians of the nature and risk of
concussion and head injury including continuing to play after
concussion or head injury. A
concussion and head injury information sheet shall be signed and
returned by the youth athlete
and the athlete's parent and/or guardian prior to the
youth athlete's return to practice or
competition.
(b) School districts
are required to use training materials made available by the United
School Sports/Concussion in Youth Sports" and any
updates or amendments thereto, or training
materials substantively and substantially similar thereto. The
department of education shall post
training materials made available by the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention on its
website. All coaches, trainers, and volunteers
involved in a youth sport or activity covered by this
chapter must complete a training course and a refresher
course annually thereafter in concussions
and traumatic brain injuries. Training may consist of
videos, classes, and any other generally
accepted mode and medium of providing information. School
districts are encouraged to have
school nurses complete a training course in concussions and
traumatic brain injuries.
(c) School districts
are encouraged to have all student athletes perform baseline or
"impact" neuropsychological tested testing,
computerized or otherwise prior to the start of
every sport season.
Parents and/or guardians shall be provided with information as to the risk of
concussion and/or traumatic brain injuries prior to the start of
every sport season and they shall
sign an acknowledgement as to their receipt of such
information.
(d) A youth athlete who
is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in a
practice or game shall be removed from competition at that
time.
(e) A youth athlete,
who has been removed from play, may not return to play until the
athlete is evaluated by a licensed physician who may
consult with an athletic trainer, all of whom
shall be trained in the evaluation and management of
concussions. and
until the The athlete
receives must receive written clearance to return to
play from that licensed physician.
(f) All school
districts are encouraged to have an athletic trainer or similarly trained
person at all recreational and athletic events addressed by
this statute.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC01277/SUB A/2
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