SENATE, No. 2494

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED APRIL 16, 2018

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.

District 18 (Middlesex)

Senator  SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM

District 31 (Hudson)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires certain schools to establish emergency action plans for responding to serious or potentially life-threatening sports-related injuries.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

 


An Act concerning student sports injuries and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  The board of education of a school district and the governing body or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school that includes any of the grades six through 12 shall establish and implement an emergency action plan for responding to a serious or potentially life-threatening sports-related injury.  The plan shall document the proper procedures to be followed when a student sustains a serious injury while participating in sports or other athletic activity. The plan shall be specific to the activity site, and shall be developed in consultation with local emergency medical services personnel.

     b.  The emergency action plan established pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall include, but need not be limited to, the following components:

     (1) a list of the employees, team coaches, and licensed athletic trainers in each school who are trained in first aid or cardio-pulmonary resuscitation;

     (2) identification of the employees, team coaches, or licensed athletic trainers in each school who will be responsible for carrying out the emergency action plan and a description of their respective responsibilities;

     (3)  identification of the activity location or venue;

     (4) identification of the equipment and supplies that may be needed to respond to the emergency, including the location of each item; and

     (5) a description of the proper procedures to be followed after a student sustains a serious sports-related injury including, but not limited to, responding to the injured student, summoning emergency medical care, assisting emergency responders in getting to the injured student, and documenting the actions taken during the emergency.

     c.  The emergency action plan shall be reviewed annually and updated as necessary.  The plan shall be rehearsed annually in each school by the individuals who will be responsible for executing the plan in an emergency.

 

     2.    The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

     3.    This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the date of enactment.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill requires that a public school district and a nonpublic school that includes any of the grades six through 12 establish and implement an emergency action plan for responding to a serious or potentially life-threatening sports-related injury.  The plan will document the proper procedures to be followed when a student sustains a serious injury while participating in sports or other athletic activity.  The plan will be specific to the activity site and is required to be developed in consultation with local emergency medical services personnel.

     Under the bill, the emergency action plan established by a school district or nonpublic school is required to include, but need not be limited to, the following: (i) a list of the employees, team coaches, and licensed athletic trainers in each school who are trained in first aid or cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; (ii) identification of the employees, team coaches, or licensed athletic trainers in each school who will be responsible for carrying out the emergency action plan, with a description of their respective responsibilities; (iii) identification of the activity location or venue; (iv) identification of the equipment and supplies that may be needed to respond to the emergency, including their locations; and (v) a description of the proper procedures to be followed after a student sustains a serious sports-related injury including, but not limited to, responding to the injured student, summoning emergency medical care, assisting emergency responders in getting to the injured student, and documenting the actions taken during the emergency.

     The bill requires that the emergency action plan be reviewed annually and updated as necessary.  In addition, the plan must be rehearsed annually in each school by the individuals who will be responsible for executing the plan in an emergency.