Bill Text: NJ A3048 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: "Scholastic Student-Athlete Safety Act;" establishes measures to ensure health of student-athletes.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-02-14 - Substituted by S1912 (2R) [A3048 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A3048-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Stender
SYNOPSIS
"Scholastic Student-Athlete Safety Act;" establishes measures to ensure health of student-athletes.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the health of student-athletes, amending P.L.2007, c.125, and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes and Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) Sections 2 through 7 of this act shall be known and may be cited as the "Scholastic Student-Athlete Safety Act."
2. (New section) a. The board of education of a public school district and the governing board or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school shall require that prior to the participation of any student enrolled in grades six to 12 on a school-sponsored interscholastic or intramural athletic team or squad, the student shall have a medical examination using the "Preparticipation Physical Evaluation" form developed jointly by the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. The Preparticipation Physical Evaluation form shall include the History and Physical Examination components.
b. The medical examination required by subsection a. of this section shall be conducted within 365 days prior to the first day of official practice in an athletic season and shall be conducted by a licensed physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant. Each student whose medical examination was completed more than 90 days prior to the first day of official practice in an athletic season shall provide a health history update questionnaire, completed and signed by the student's parent or guardian. The completed health history update questionnaire shall be reviewed by the school nurse and shall include information as to whether, in the time period since the date of the student's last preparticipation medical examination, the student has:
(1) been medically advised not to participate in a sport;
(2) sustained a concussion, been unconscious or lost memory from a blow to the head;
(3) broken a bone or sprained, strained, or dislocated any muscles or joints;
(4) fainted or blacked out;
(5) experienced chest pains, shortness of breath, or heart racing;
(6) had a recent history of fatigue and unusual tiredness;
(7) been hospitalized, visited an emergency room, or had a significant medical illness;
(8) started or stopped taking any over the counter or prescribed medications; or
(9) had a sudden death in the family, or whether any member of the student's family under the age of 50 has had a heart attack or heart trouble.
c. A board of education of a public school district and the governing board or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school shall not permit a student enrolled in grades six to 12 to participate on a school-sponsored interscholastic or intramural athletic team or squad unless the student has a completed Preparticipation Physical Evaluation form and, if applicable, a completed health history update questionnaire as required by subsections a. and b. of this section.
3. (New section) a. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, the American Heart Association, and the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, shall develop, by the 2012-2013 school year, a Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module to increase the assessment skills of those medical professionals who perform student-athlete medical examinations and screenings. The module shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(1) how to complete and review a detailed medical history with an emphasis on cardiovascular family history and personal reports of symptoms;
(2) identifying symptoms of sudden cardiac death that may require follow up with a cardiologist;
(3) recognizing normal structural changes of the athletic heart;
(4) recognizing prodromal symptoms that precede sudden cardiac death;
(5) performing the cardiovascular physical examination;
(6) reviewing the major etiologies of sudden unexplained cardiac death with an emphasis on structural abnormalities and acquired conditions; and
(7) when to refer a student to a cardiologist for further assessment.
b. The module developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section and the pamphlet developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41) shall be posted on the websites of the Department of Education, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology.
c. A physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant who performs a student-athlete's annual medical examination prior to the student's participation in a school-sponsored interscholastic or intramural athletic team or squad shall complete the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section. Upon completion of the module, the physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant shall sign and submit a statement attesting to the completion of the module to the Commissioner of Education.
4. (New section) The New Jersey State Board of Nursing shall require that, in addition to any other requirements provided for by law, an applicant for renewal of a certification as an advanced practice nurse who performs preparticipation medical examinations of student-athletes, attest that, in the period since the certification was last renewed, he has completed the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module developed pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and has read the pamphlet developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41).
5. (New section) The State Board of Medical Examiners shall require that a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery and who performs preparticipation medical examinations of student-athletes, as a condition for biennial registration, attest that, in the period since the last biennial registration, he has completed the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module developed pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and has read the pamphlet developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41).
6. (New section) The State Board of Medical Examiners shall require that, in addition to any other requirements provided for by law, an applicant for renewal of a license as a physician assistant who performs preparticipation medical examinations of student-athletes, attest that, in the period since the license was last renewed, he has completed the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module developed pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and has read the pamphlet developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41).
7. (New section) A contract between a school district and a school physician appointed pursuant to N.J.S.18A:40-1 shall include a statement of assurance that the school physician has completed the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module developed pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and has read the pamphlet developed pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41).
8. Section 1 of P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, the American Heart Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, shall develop a pamphlet that provides information about sudden cardiac death to student-athletes and the parents or guardians of student athletes. The pamphlet shall include an explanation of sudden cardiac death, its incidence among student athletes, a description of early warning signs, and an overview of the options that are privately available to screen for cardiac conditions that may lead to sudden cardiac death, including a statement about the limitations of these options.
b. The commissioner shall distribute the pamphlet, at no charge, to all school districts in the State. The commissioner shall update the pamphlet as necessary, and shall make additional copies available to nonpublic schools upon request.
c. In the 2007-2008 through the 2011-2012 school [year and in each school year thereafter] years, each school district shall distribute the pamphlet to the parents or guardians of students participating in school sports.
d. In the 2012-2013 school year and in each subsequent school year, a school district shall distribute the pamphlet to each student-athlete and to the parents or guardians of student-athletes, as part of the student's preparticipation medical examination and completion of athletic permission forms. A student-athlete and the parent or guardian of the student-athlete shall certify in writing that they received and reviewed the pamphlet.
(cf: P.L.2007, c.125)
9. (New section) The State Board of Education shall promulgate regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
10. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment, but the State Board of Education may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill would require public and nonpublic schools to require that any student enrolled in grades six to 12 have a medical examination prior to participation on a school-sponsored interscholastic or intramural athletic team or squad. The bill would require that the medical examination be conducted using the "Preparticipation Physical Evaluation" form, developed jointly by the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine.
The medical examination required under the bill must be conducted within 365 days prior to the first day of official practice in an athletic season and must be conducted by a licensed physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant. If the exam is conducted more than 90 days prior to the first practice, the student also must submit a health history update questionnaire for review by the school nurse, which includes certain medical history information with regard to the time period since the date of the student's last preparticipation medical examination. Under the bill, a public or nonpublic school may not permit a student in grades six to 12 to participate in school-sponsored athletics unless the student has a completed Preparticipation Physical Evaluation form and, if applicable, a completed health history update questionnaire.
Current State Board of Education regulations require school districts to ensure that students in grades six to 12 have a medical examination prior to participation in school-sponsored athletics, with the findings of the examination documented on a form approved by the Commissioner of Education. This bill would require a medical exam for students in both public and nonpublic schools who participate in athletics and would require schools to use the "Preparticipation Physical Evaluation" form developed by six major American medical societies.
The bill also directs the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, the American Heart Association, and the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Cardiology to develop, by the 2012-2013 school year, a Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module to increase the assessment skills of those medical professionals who perform student-athlete assessments and screenings. The bill provides that the module and the pamphlet developed pursuant to P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41) be posted on the websites of the Department of Education, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology.
Under the bill, a physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant who performs a student-athlete's annual medical examination prior to the student's participation in a school-sponsored interscholastic or intramural athletic team or squad must complete the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module. Upon completion of the module, the physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant must sign and submit a statement attesting to the module's completion to the Commissioner of Education.
The bill also requires the completion of the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module as a condition of continued licensing or certification for any physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant who performs preparticipation examinations of student-athletes.
P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41), which was approved on August 6, 2007, directed the Commissioner of Education to develop a pamphlet that provides information about sudden cardiac death, its early warning signs, and its incidence among student athletes. The commissioner was to make the pamphlet available at no charge to all school districts, and in each school year, a school district was to distribute the pamphlet to the parents or guardians of students participating in school sports. This bill amends P.L.2007, c.125 (C.18A:40-41) to provide that beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, a pamphlet providing information about sudden cardiac death will be distributed to a student athlete and to his parents or guardians at the time of the student's preparticipation medical examination and completion of athletic permission forms. Both the student and his parents or guardians will certify in writing that they received and reviewed the pamphlet.
