Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1776



By Senator Powell





24-00640-24 20241776__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation
3 education for athletic coaches; amending ss. 943.0438
4 and 1006.20, F.S.; requiring independent sanctioning
5 authorities and the Florida High School Athletic
6 Association, respectively, to adopt guidelines to
7 educate certain persons on first aid and
8 cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures; requiring
9 athletic coaches to hold a current certificate of
10 successful completion of a course in cardiopulmonary
11 resuscitation; amending ss. 1006.165 and 1012.55,
12 F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the
13 act; providing an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
18 943.0438, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (h) is
19 added to that subsection, to read:
20 943.0438 Athletic coaches for independent sanctioning
21 authorities.—
22 (2) An independent sanctioning authority shall:
23 (e) Adopt guidelines to educate athletic coaches,
24 officials, administrators, and youth athletes and their parents
25 or guardians on: of
26 1. The nature and risk of concussion and head injury.
27 2. First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
28 procedures.
29 (h) Adopt bylaws or polices that require an athletic coach
30 to hold a current certificate of successful course completion in
31 CPR.
32 Section 2. Paragraph (j) of subsection (2) of section
33 1006.20, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (n) is
34 added to that subsection, to read:
35 1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
36 (2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS, POLICIES, OR GUIDELINES.—
37 (j) The FHSAA shall adopt guidelines to educate athletic
38 coaches, officials, administrators, and student athletes and
39 their parents or guardians of:
40 1. The nature and risk of concussion and head injury.
41 2. First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
42 procedures.
43 (n) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws or polices that require an
44 athletic coach to hold a current certificate of successful
45 course completion in CPR.
46 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
47 1006.165, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
48 1006.165 Well-being of students participating in
49 extracurricular activities; training.—
50 (1)
51 (b) Beginning June 1, 2021, A school employee, an athletic
52 coach, or a volunteer with current training in cardiopulmonary
53 resuscitation and use of a defibrillator must be present at each
54 athletic event during and outside of the school year, including
55 athletic contests, practices, workouts, and conditioning
56 sessions. The training must include completion of a course in
57 cardiopulmonary resuscitation or a basic first aid course that
58 includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, and
59 demonstrated proficiency in the use of a defibrillator. Each
60 employee, athletic coach, or volunteer who is reasonably
61 expected to use a defibrillator must complete this training.
62 Section 4. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
63 1012.55, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
64 1012.55 Positions for which certificates required.—
65 (2)
66 (b) Completion of a sports safety course shall count for 6
67 hours of required school district inservice instruction for
68 athletic coaching certification if the course is approved by the
69 Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors and
70 meets the following requirements:
71 1. The course consists of at least eight modules.
72 2. The course immediately provides an individual with a
73 “merit” certificate at the time of successful completion.
74 3. The course is delivered through hands-on and online
75 teaching methods.
76 4. The course is a hands-on course taught by either a
77 state-licensed athletic trainer who holds a current certificate
78 from the Board of Certification or a member of the American
79 Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
80 5. Hands-on course material is less than 120 pages.
81 6. The course covers sports safety specifically, including
82 procedures for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but
83 excluding coaching principles and procedures for cardiopulmonary
84 resuscitation.
85 7. The course is authored or approved by at least 10 health
86 care professionals, including doctors of medicine, doctors of
87 osteopathy, registered nurses, physical therapists, and
88 certified athletic trainers.
89 8. The course is revised and reviewed for updates at least
90 once every 30 months.
91 9. The course is available to the general public for a
92 retail price under $50.
93 10. Each course examination is automated and taken online
94 with a score of 80 percent or better for successful completion.
95 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
S 1776 Filed: 943.0438, 1006.20, 1006.165, 1012.55