North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S550 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 550
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS15254-TC-4
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: Coaches Care Act. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senators Theodros and Mohammed (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~March 26, 2025~~
11		-	~~S550 -v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS15254 -TC-4
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO REQUIRE YOUTH ATHLETICS COACHES TO RECEIVE TRAINING IN 2
14	15		YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID . 3
15	16		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
16	17		SECTION 1. G.S. 115C-407.55(2) reads as rewritten: 5
17	18		"(2) Student health and safety rules. – These rules shall govern requirements to 6
18	19		ensure student health and safety during participation in interscholastic athletic 7
19	20		activities, including rules related to concussionsconcussions, youth mental 8
20	21		health first aid, and emergency action plans as required by 9
21	22		G.S. 115C-407.57G.S. 115C-407.57, G.S. 115C-407.57A, and 10
22	23		G.S. 115C-407.58. The adoption of these rules shall not be delegated to an 11
23	24		administering organization and student health and safety rules shall not be 12
24	25		altered or expanded by an administering organization." 13
25	26		SECTION 2. Article 29E of Chapter 115C is amended by adding a new section to 14
26	27		read: 15
27	28		"§ 115C-407.57A. Rules on mental health first aid training for coaches. 16
28	29		(a) For the purposes of this section, a "training program" is a youth mental health first 17
29	30		aid program that offers training and certification in the following: 18
30	31		(1) Recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and 19
31	32		substance abuse. 20
32	33		(2) Assisting youth that are experiencing mental health challenges. 21
33	34		(3) Connecting youth with professional resources that can provide additional care. 22
34	35		(b) The State Board of Education shall consult with the Center for Safer Schools, the 23
35	36		Department of Health and Human Services, and the University of North Carolina School of 24
36	37		Social Work on the selection of approved training programs. The State Board of Education shall 25
37	38		annually publish on the State Board of Education's website a list of approved training programs 26
38	39		no later than March 1. 27
39	40		(c) With regard to middle schools and high schools, the State Board of Education shall 28
40	41		adopt rules that require all coaches and athletic directors to possess an unexpired certification 29
41	42		from a training program approved by the State Board of Education. 30
42	43		(d) Each middle and high school shall maintain complete and accurate records of its 31
43	44		compliance with the requirements of this section." 32
44	45		SECTION 3. Article 18 of Chapter 160A is amended by adding a new section to 33
45	46		read: 34
46	47		"§ 160A-358. Youth athletics. 35
47		-	(a) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 550-First Edition
	48	+	(a) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: 36
	49	+	FILED SENATE
	50	+	Mar 25, 2025
	51	+	S.B. 550
	52	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	53	+	Page 2 DRS15254-TC-4
49	54		(1) A youth athletics organization is any local government entity, nonprofit 1
50	55		organization, or other entity that organizes and conducts athletic competitions 2
51	56		for participation by persons under the age of 18. 3
52	57		(2) A coach is any person over the age of 18 that provides instruction in athletics 4
53	58		to persons under the age of 18. 5
54	59		(b) No county or city shall allow a youth athletics organization to access county or city 6
55	60		owned parks, recreational centers, or recreational facilities unless the youth athletics organization 7
56	61		can demonstrate that all coaches possess an unexpired certification from a youth mental health 8
57	62		first aid training program approved by the State Board of Education pursuant to 9
58	63		G.S. 115C-407.57A. 10
59	64		(c) Each county and city shall maintain complete and accurate records of its compliance 11
60	65		with the requirements of this section." 12
61	66		SECTION 4. The State Board of Education shall select The National Council for 13
62	67		Mental Wellbeing's Youth Mental Health First Aid course and Teen Mental Health First Aid 14
63	68		course as the approved training programs and publish that selection no later than March 1, 2026 15
64	69		and annually thereafter until March 1, 2030, if the National Council for Mental Wellbeing 16
65	70		continues to offer those courses. The State Board of Education may review those courses and 17
66	71		select other courses as provided in G.S. 115C-407.57A for publication beginning March 1, 2031, 18
67	72		or if there is evidence of substantial changes to the curriculum of those courses before March 1, 19
68	73		2031. 20
69	74		SECTION 5. The act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning on July 21
70	75		1, 2026. 22