A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to ensure that student athletes with concussions or symptoms of head injuries do not continue to participate in interscholastic sports.
Whereas, concussions are one of the most commonly reported injuries in children and adolescents who participate in sports and recreational activities; and
Whereas, concussions are traumatic head injuries that occur from both mild and severe blows to the head; and
Whereas, concussions occur with or without loss of consciousness, but the vast majority occur without loss of consciousness; and
Whereas, continuing to participate in a sport with a concussion or symptoms of head injury leaves the young athlete especially vulnerable to greater injury and even death; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑12 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑12.  Powers and duties of the Board generally.
The general supervision and administration of the free public school system shall be vested in the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall establish policy for the system of free public schools, subject to laws enacted by the General Assembly. The powers and duties of the State Board of Education are defined as follows:
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(23)	Power to Adopt Eligibility Rules for Interscholastic Athletic Competition. – The State Board of Education may adopt rules governing interscholastic athletic activities conducted by local boards of education, including eligibility for student participation. The rules shall provide for the following:
a.	All employees or volunteers who instruct or train members of a school athletic team shall receive annual training on how to recognize the symptoms of a concussion and how to seek proper medical care for a person suspected of having a concussion. To the extent practicable, this training shall be completed before the beginning of the season for the sport.
b.	A member of a school athletic team shall not be permitted to participate in any athletic event or training on the day the team member  is diagnosed with a concussion or exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion following an observed or suspected blow to the head or body. The team member may participate in an event or practice on a subsequent day only if the team member (i) no longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion and (ii) receives a medical release form from a health care professional.
The State Board of Education may authorize a designated organization to apply and enforce the Board's rules governing participation in interscholastic athletic activities at the high school level.
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SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2011‑2012 school year.