California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation yesterday that requires private and charter schools to immediately remove any student-athlete from play if he or she is suspected of having sustained a concussion.
The state’s original youth-concussion law, signed back in October 2011, only covered public schools. It contained all three provisions of the National Football League’s model legislation, Washington state’s Lystedt Law, which are as follows:
- Student-athletes, parents, and guardians must annually sign an information form about the nature and risk of concussions and head injuries;
- Any youth athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion during a practice or game must be immediately removed from play; and
- After being removed due to a concussion, a student-athlete cannot return to play before receiving medical clearance from a licensed health-care professional.
The new law, which was approved unanimously by the state Assembly back on September 10, simply extends these provisions to student-athletes at private and charter schools. It goes into effect in January.
“Our student athletes have not been equally protected from the dangers of concussion injury and re-injury,” said the bill’s author, Assemblyman Steve Fox,
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