H-1197.1

HOUSE BILL 1750


State of Washington	64th Legislature	2015 Regular Session

By Representatives Ortiz-Self, Magendanz, Tarleton, Moscoso, Riccelli, Robinson, Kagi, Ryu, Gregerson, Lytton, Stanford, Appleton, Peterson, Van De Wege, Goodman, and Pollet

Read first time 01/28/15. Referred to Committee on Education.

AN ACT Relating to the awareness of sudden cardiac arrest for students engaged in athletic activity; adding a new section to chapter 28A.345 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.320 RCW; and creating new sections.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that sudden cardiac death is the result of an unexpected failure of proper heart function that may occur during or immediately after exercise. The legislature further finds that it has been reported that cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes. The legislature finds that approximately one in two hundred fifty young athletes has a heart disorder that may increase his or her risk of sudden cardiac arrest. The legislature intends to make students engaged in athletic activity, their families, and coaches aware of sudden cardiac arrest.

(1) The Washington state school directors' association, in collaboration with a nonprofit organization that educates communities about sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes and the University of Washington center for sports cardiology, shall develop and make available an online pamphlet that provides students engaged in athletic activity, their parents or guardians, and coaches with information about sudden cardiac arrest. The online pamphlet must include information on the nature, risk, symptoms and warning signs, prevention, and treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. The online pamphlet shall be posted on the office of the superintendent of public instruction's web site.

(2) The Washington state school directors' association, in collaboration with an organization that provides educational training for safe participation in athletic activity, shall make available an existing online sudden cardiac arrest prevention program for coaches.

(a) "Athletic activity" means interscholastic sports; an athletic contest or competition, other than interscholastic sports, that is sponsored by or associated with a public school district, including cheerleading and club-sponsored sports activities; and any practice or interschool practice or scrimmage for those sports or activities.

(b) "Coaches" means any persons responsible for the supervision of students engaged in athletic activity, including volunteers and full-time and part-time employees of a school district.

(1) School districts shall disseminate information on how to access the online pamphlet described in section 2 of this act to students who will be engaged in athletic activity, their parents or guardians, and coaches who supervise these students.

(2) School districts shall hold an informational meeting at the beginning of each school year that reviews the nature, risk, symptoms and warning signs, prevention, and treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. Students engaged in an athletic activity, their parents or guardians, coaches, athletic trainers, school and team physicians, school nurses, and other school officials may attend the meeting. School districts may collaborate with nonprofit organizations that educate communities about sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes to hold the informational meeting.

(3) Beginning in the 2015-16 school year and in each school year thereafter, school districts shall have students who will be engaged in an athletic activity and their parents or guardians sign a form that states they reviewed the online pamphlet described in section 2 of this act. The forms shall be returned to the school district before students engage in any athletic activity each school year.

(4) Beginning in the 2015-16 school year and in each school year thereafter, school districts shall require coaches to complete the online sudden cardiac arrest prevention program described in section 2 of this act before the start of the first athletic activity that the person is scheduled to coach. Coaches shall provide a certificate showing completion of the online sudden cardiac arrest prevention program to the school district every four years.