A new North Carolina law that would allow parents or healthcare providers to decide when it's safe for their children to return to play after potentially suffering a concussion, will be removed soon, one of its sponsors said Tuesday. The proposed House Bill 116 was recently proposed by the House of Representatives in North Carolina.
"That's going to be changed," State Rep. Greg Murphy told USA Today. "It's not necessary because I don't believe parents are medical professionals and they are not qualified to make such decisions for their children," said Murphy, also a physician, concerning the new North Carolina law.
She said she wasn't exactly sure why the new North Carolina law was proposed in the first place but was sure that the law is definitely going to be removed. It would stipulate any child who takes part in school athletic activities completes training regarding concussions, cardiac arrest, and heat-related illnesses.
House Bill 116 also would require parents, coaches or anyone associated with student athletics to be given information pertaining the child's sudden cardiac arrest; heat stroke and heat exhaustion; and concussions. Under the new North Carolina law, a database would be established to track details related to the catastrophic injuries of student athletes.
North Carolina already has legislation regarding how schools should handle concussions. Under the Gfeller-Waller Concussion Awareness Act passed in 2001, a student-athlete can't return to a game or competition, until the child is evaluated by a licensed medical professional or an athletic coach.
The language in House Bill 116 had raised eyebrows because it could have ended up in student returning to play before they fully recover from a head injury. In fact, research has shown that a child returning too early can leave him or her susceptible to further injury, which further opposes the new North Carolina law.
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