Legislation Document

WHEREAS , it is the desire of the House of Representative of the 150 ^th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, to improve the health and safety of our youth athletes in the State of Delaware; and

WHEREAS, in the United States, 90% of high school student athletes report some type of sports-related injury. The highest rate of sports-related emergency room visits are experienced by students that are between 15 and 17-years-old. Among students who play on 1, 2, and 3 or more sports teams, the prevalence of having at least 1 concussion is 16.7%, 22.9%, and 30.3%, respectively. Between 2008 and 2015, more than 300 sports-related deaths of young athletes occurred in the United States alone; and

WHEREAS , in Delaware, participation in interscholastic athletics represents an important part of the educational experience of middle and high school students. Educators consider interscholastic athletics to be an important extension of the classroom where many life skills are best learned; and

WHEREAS , during the 2016-2017 academic year, 30,034 students in Delaware participated in interscholastic athletics at the high school level. This represents the single largest extracurricular activity at Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association member schools. This includes 16,217 males and 13,817 females, including participation in competitive and sideline spirit and cheer. The rate of participation by females stands at 46%, which exceeds the national rate of 42.2%. Participation in interscholastic athletics is judged by many educators to be a prime motivator for many students to stay in school and achieve academic success; and

WHEREAS , in Delaware, boys’ and girls’ basketball are the male and female sports with the largest participation rate by school with 59 member schools fielding a boys or girls team or both. Football remains the male sport with the greatest number of male participants at 2,777. Girls’ soccer continues as the girls’ sport with the greatest number of participants at 1,701.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of the 150th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the members of the Delaware General Assembly hereby recognize the importance of the Athletes Bill of Rights created by the Youth Sports Safety Alliance as follows:

1. Student Athletes have the right to be coached by individuals who are well trained in sport-specific safety and to be monitored by athletic health care team members.

2. Student Athletes have the right to quality, regular pre-participation examinations and each athlete has the right to participate under a comprehensive concussion management plan.

3. Student Athletes have the right to participate in sporting activities on safe, clean playing surfaces, in both indoor and outdoor facilities.

4. Student Athletes have the right to utilize equipment and uniforms that are safe, fitted appropriately and routinely maintained, and to appropriate personnel trained in proper removal of equipment in case of injury.

5. Student Athletes have the right to participate safely in all environmental conditions where play follows approved guidelines and medical policies and procedures, with a hydration plan in place.

6. Student Athletes have the right to a safe playing environment with venue-specific emergency action plans that are coordinated by the athletic health care team and regularly rehearsed with local emergency personnel.

7. Student Athletes have the right to privacy of health information and proper referral for medical, psychosocial and nutritional counseling.

8. Student Athletes have the right to participate in a culture that finds “playing through pain” unacceptable unless there has been a medical assessment.

9. Student Athletes have the right to immediate, on-site injury assessments with decisions made by qualified sports medicine professionals.

10. Student Athletes have the right, along with their parents, to the latest information about the benefits and potential risks of participation in competitive sports, including access to statistics on fatalities and catastrophic injuries to youth athletes.