Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Requires public and nonpublic schools, local recreation departments, and youth serving organizations to have licensed athletic trainer present at youth athletic events that involve certain contact sports.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the presence of athletic trainers at youth athletic events for certain sports, and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes and Title 5 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section, "contact sport" means football, wrestling, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, and rugby.
b. The board of education of a public school district and the governing board or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school that includes any of the grades kindergarten through 12 shall ensure that a licensed athletic trainer is present during any school-sponsored athletic event or team practice involving a contact sport in which students of the district or nonpublic school are participating in the contact sport.
2. a. As used in this section, "contact sport" means football, wrestling, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, and rugby.
b. A municipal or county recreation department and a nonprofit youth serving organization as defined in section 1 of P.L.1999, c.432 (C.15A:3A-1), which organizes, sponsors, or is otherwise affiliated with youth athletic events that are played on municipal, county, school, or other publicly-owned fields, shall ensure that a licensed athletic trainer is present at each youth athletic event and practice that involves a contact sport and is held on the department's or organization's home field.
3. Section 1 of this act shall take effect in the first full school year following the date of enactment and section 2 shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would require public school districts and nonpublic schools that include any of the grades kindergarten through 12 to ensure that a licensed athletic trainer is present during any school-sponsored athletic event or team practice involving a contact sport in which students of the district or nonpublic school are participating in the contact sport. A "contact sport" under the bill includes the sports of football, wrestling, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, and rugby.
The bill would also require municipal or county recreation departments and nonprofit youth serving organizations which organize, sponsor, or are otherwise affiliated with youth athletic events that are played on municipal, county, school, or other publicly-owned fields, to ensure that a licensed athletic trainer is present at each youth athletic event and practice that involves a contact sport and is held on the department's or organization's home field.