House Bill No. 6492
Public Act No. 21-87
AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN
EXERTIONAL HEAT ILLNESS FOR COACHES, PARENTS,
GUARDIANS AND STUDENTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Exertional heat illness" means an illness resulting from engaging
in physical activity in the heat, including, but not limited to, heat
cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion and heat stroke;
(2) "Heat cramps" means sudden or progressively and noticeably
evolving, involuntary, painful contractions of skeletal muscle during or
after engaging in physical activity in the heat;
(3) "Heat exhaustion" means the inability to effectively engage in
physical activity in the heat, secondary to a combination of factors,
including, but not limited to, cardiovascular insufficiency, hypotension,
energy depletion and central fatigue and is manifested by an elevated
core body temperature and associated with a high rate or volume of skin
blood flow, heavy sweating and dehydration;
(4) "Heat stroke" means a medical emergency characterized by
neuropsychiatric impairment and a high core body temperature, House Bill No. 6492
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typically 105.8° Fahrenheit or above;
(5) "Heat syncope" means sudden dizziness, feeling faint and fainting
experienced after engaging in physical activity in the heat; and
(6) "Intramural or interscholastic athletics" shall include any activity
sponsored by a school or local education agency, as defined in section
10-15f of the general statutes, or an organization sanctioned by the local
education agency that involves any athletic contest, practice,
scrimmage, competition, demonstration, display or club activity.
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year
thereafter, any person who holds or is issued a coaching permit by the
State Board of Education and is a coach of intramural or interscholastic
athletics shall complete an exertional heat illness awareness education
program prior to commencing the coaching assignment for the season
of such intramural or interscholastic athletics. Such program shall be
developed or approved pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. For the
school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year thereafter,
any person who holds or is issued a coaching permit by the State Board
of Education and is a coach of intramural or interscholastic athletics
shall annually review the program developed or approved pursuant to
subsection (c) of this section, prior to commencing the coaching
assignment for the season of such intramural or interscholastic athletics.
(c) On or before January 1, 2022, the governing authority for
intramural and interscholastic athletics, in consultation with an
appropriate organization representing licensed athletic trainers, an
organization representing sports medical doctors, an organization that
researches best practices in managing heat illness, and an organization
representing county medical associations, shall develop or approve an
exertional heat illness awareness education program for use by local and
regional boards of education. Such program shall be published on the
State Board of Education's Internet web site and shall include, but need House Bill No. 6492
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not be limited to, (1) the recognition of the symptoms of an exertional
heat illness, (2) the means of obtaining proper medical treatment for a
person suspected of having an exertional heat illness, and (3) the nature
and risk of exertional heat illness, including the danger of continuing to
engage in athletic activity after sustaining exertional heat illness and the
proper method of allowing a student athlete who has sustained
exertional heat illness to return to athletic activity.
(d) On or before October 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the
governing authority for intramural and interscholastic athletics, in
consultation with an appropriate organization representing licensed
athletic trainers, an organization representing sports medical doctors,
an organization that researches best practices in managing heat illness
and an organization representing county medical associations, shall
develop or approve annual review materials regarding current and
relevant information regarding exertional heat illness for use by local
and regional boards of education.
(e) On or before January 1, 2022, the governing authority for
intramural and interscholastic athletics, in consultation with an
appropriate organization representing licensed athletic trainers, an
organization representing sports medical doctors, an organization that
researches best practices in managing heat illness and an organization
representing county medical associations, shall develop a model
exertional heat illness awareness plan for use by local and regional
boards of education. Each local and regional board of education shall
implement such plan by utilizing written materials, online training or
videos or in-person training that shall address, at a minimum: (1) The
recognition of signs or symptoms of exertional heat illness, (2) the means
of obtaining proper medical treatment for a person suspected of an
exertional heat illness, (3) the nature and risks of exertional heat illness,
including the danger of continuing to engage in athletic activity after
experiencing exertional heat illness, (4) the proper procedures for House Bill No. 6492
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allowing a student athlete who has experienced exertional heat illness
to return to athletic activity, and (5) best practices in the prevention and
treatment of exertional heat illness.
(f) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year
thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall prohibit a
student athlete from participating in any intramural or interscholastic
activity unless the student athlete, and a parent or guardian of such
student athlete, (1) reads written materials, (2) views online training or
videos, or (3) attends in-person training developed or approved
pursuant to this section. Acknowledgment of adherence to this standard
by the student athlete and the parent or guardian shall be made by the
parent's or guardian's signature on an athletic participation informed
consent form issued by the applicable local or regional board of
education.
(g) The State Board of Education may revoke the coaching permit, in
accordance with the provisions of subsection (i) of section 10-145b of the
general statutes, of any coach found to be in violation of this section.