BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 1639
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|Author: |Maienschein |
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|Version: |June 14, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 29, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: | Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lynn Lorber |
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Subject: Pupil health: The Eric Paredes Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Prevention Act
SUMMARY
This bill, beginning July 1, 2017, establishes a return-to-play
protocol for students who pass out or faint during an athletic
activity, requires coaches to complete a sudden cardiac arrest
training course, and requires schools to retain a copy of a
sudden cardiac arrest information sheet before a student
participates in an athletic activity.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1) Requires a school district, charter school, or private
school that elects to offer an athletic program to comply
with all of the following:
a) Immediately removed from the athletic activity
for the remainder of the day an athlete who is
suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury.
b) Prohibits the athlete from returning to the
athletic activity until he or she is evaluated and
provided written clearance by a licensed health care
provider.
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c) Requires the athlete, if the health care provider
determines a concussion or head injury was sustained,
to complete a graduated return-to-play protocol of at
least seven days in duration.
d) Requires a concussion and head injury information
sheet to be signed and returned by the athlete and the
parent annually before the athlete initiates practice
or competition. (Education Code § 49475)
2) States legislative intent that high school athletic coaches
complete training regarding the identification of and
appropriate response to concussions, among other things.
(EC § 35179.1)
3) Authorizes a public school to solicit and receive non-state
funds to acquire and maintain an automated external
defibrillator (AED), and requires these funds to be used
only to acquire and maintain an AED and to provide training
to school employees regarding use of an AED. (EC § 49417)
4) Requires the principal of a school, when an automated
external defibrillator (AED) is placed in a public or
private K-12 school, to ensure that the school
administrators and staff annually receive information that
describes sudden cardiac arrest, the school's emergency
response plan, and the proper use of an AED. Existing law
requires the principal to ensure that instructions, in no
less than 14-point type, on how to use the AED are posted
next to every AED. Existing law also requires the
principal to, at least annually, notify school employees as
to the location of all AED units on the campus. (Health &
Safety Code § 1797.196)
ANALYSIS
This bill, beginning July 1, 2017, establishes the Eric Paredes
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act that includes a
return-to-play protocol for students who pass out or faint
during an athletic activity, requires coaches to complete a
sudden cardiac arrest training course, and requires schools to
retain a copy of a sudden cardiac arrest information sheet
before a student participates in an athletic activity.
Specifically, this bill:
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Return-to-play protocol
1) Requires that a student who passes out or faints while
participating in or immediately following an athletic
activity, or who is known to have passed out or fainted
while participating in or immediately following an athletic
activity, be removed from participation at that time by the
athletic director, coach or athletic trainer.
2) Authorizes an athletic trainer to remove from participation
a student who exhibits unexplained shortness of breath,
chest pains, dizziness, racing heart rate, or extreme
fatigue during an athletic activity, if the athletic
trainer reasonably believes that the symptoms are cardiac
related.
3) Prohibits a student who is removed from play from being
permitted to return to an athletic activity until the
student is evaluated and cleared to return in writing by a
physician and surgeon, or a nurse practitioner or physician
assistant, as specified.
4) Requires, in the absence of an athletic trainer, any coach
who observes any of the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest
to notify the parent so that the parent can determine what
treatment, if any, the student should seek.
5) Exempts from these protocols athletic activities during the
regular schoolday or as part of a physical education course
unless it constitutes a practice, interscholastic practice,
or scrimmage.
Training
6) Requires coaches, by July 1, 2019, prior to coaching an
athletic activity, to complete the sudden cardiac arrest
training course using the information posted on the
California Department of Education's (CDE's) Web site.
7) Requires coaches to retake the training course every two
years.
8) Prohibits a coach from being eligible to coach an athletic
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activity until the coach completes the training course.
9) Requires that a coach who does not receive the training, by
July 1 2019, be subject to suspension from coaching any
athletic activity until completion of the required
training.
Sudden cardiac arrest information sheet
10) Requires, annually before a student participates in an
athletic activity governed by the California
Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the school to collect and
retain a copy of the sudden cardiac arrest information
sheet required by the CIF for that student.
11) Requires, before a student participates in an athletic
activity not governed by the CIF, the student and the
student's parent to sign and return to the school an
acknowledgment of receipt and review of the information
sheet posted on the California Department of Education's
(CDE's) Web site.
Posting of guidelines and information
12) Requires the CDE to post on its Web site guidelines,
videos, and an information sheet on sudden cardiac arrest
symptoms and warning signs, and other relevant materials to
inform and educate students and parents, and to train
coaches about the nature and warning signs, including the
risks associated with continuing to play or practice after
experiencing fainting or seizures during exercise,
unexplained shortness of breath, chest pains, dizziness,
racing heart rate, or extreme fatigue.
13) Authorizes materials to include but not be limited to,
those developed or used for sudden cardiac arrest education
and coaches training by the National Federation of High
School Associations, the Eric Paredes Save A Life
Foundation, or the California Interscholastic Federation.
14) Encourages schools and school districts to post the
information and materials on their Web sites to give
students, parents, and coaches ready access to the
information.
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Miscellaneous
15) Provides that this bill is to become effective on July 1,
2017.
16) Authorizes a school to hold an informational meeting before
the start of each athletic season for all ages of
competitors regarding the symptoms and warning signs of
sudden cardiac arrest. This bill authorizes the meetings
to include physicians, pediatric cardiologists, and
athletic trainers, in addition to students, parents,
coaches and other school officials.
17) Encourages the sponsors of youth athletic activities to
follow the guidelines specified in this bill.
18) Defines "athletic activity" to include all of the
following:
a) Interscholastic athletics.
b) An athletic contest or competition,
other than interscholastic athletics, that is
sponsored by a school including cheerleading and
club-sponsored sports activities.
c) Non-competitive cheerleading that is
sponsored by a school.
d) Practices, interscholastic practice,
and scrimmages for all of the activities listed above.
19) Defines "school" as a public school, including a charter
school, or private school that elects to conduct athletic
activities.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. According to the author, "Currently,
there are no statutes or regulations in California
regarding sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Only last year did
the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) adopt
policies regarding SCA. The issue is that involvement in
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the CIF is not mandatory and their policies therefore do
not cover every student athlete in the state. SCA claims
the lives of thousands of kids annually. Of the people
that suffered from SCA, 72% were reported to have at least
one of the symptoms that went largely unrecognized. In
California, there is a lack of education about the symptoms
of the leading cause of death on school campuses."
2) Existing California Interscholastic Federation bylaw. The
California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) governs
competitive athletics in grades 9-12, and had adopted a
bylaw that mirrors the return-to-play protocol and
information sheet requirements contained in this bill.
This bill essentially extends the CIF bylaw to athletic
activities at schools that are not governed by CIF, as well
as requiring all coaches to receive training and the
posting of information on the Web site of the California
Department of Education (CDE).
3) Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill imposes General Fund administrative
costs to CDE of approximately $85,000 to post guidelines,
videos, and an information sheet on symptoms of sudden
cardiac arrest. The CDE will also develop an online
training for coaches in consultation with health
stakeholder, as specified in the bill.
4) Related legislation. AB 1719 (Rodriguez, 2016) requires
school districts and charter schools serving students in
grades 9-12 to offer instruction in
compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation as part of a
required course, commencing in the 2018-19 school year. AB
1719 is pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SUPPORT
American Red Cross
Association of California School Administrators
California Interscholastic Federation
California School Boards Association
California School Nurses Organization
California State PTA
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Los Angeles Unified School District
OPPOSITION
None received.
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