Requires cardiac fitness certificates including an electrocardiogram or echocardiogram for interscholastic athletes in all public schools.
Summary
This bill would amend the Education Law to require a new “cardiac fitness certificate” for public school students before they may participate in interscholastic athletics. The requirement applies to students in seventh grade or to students who have turned, or will turn, 13 during the school year, whichever occurs first. The certificate must be completed by a licensed physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner authorized to practice in New York, or by a comparable licensed professional from another jurisdiction if approved by the commissioner.
The certificate must describe the student’s cardiac fitness, identify any heart conditions, and state whether those conditions could lead to severe adverse health outcomes during athletic activity. It also requires the examining professional to perform either an electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) or an echocardiogram and include the results in the certificate. The bill would take effect on July 1 following enactment, with immediate authorization for any needed implementing regulations.
Impact
The bill would add a new section 903-a to the Education Law and create a statewide pre-participation cardiac screening requirement for public school interscholastic athletes. It would affect students, parents, school districts, and medical providers by making cardiac testing a condition of athletic eligibility for covered students, and it would likely require schools to update sports physical and clearance procedures. The measure also authorizes the commissioner to recognize out-of-state practitioners only if their licensing standards are comparable to New York’s.
Sentiment
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no formal debate or recorded opposition is available here. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be framed as a student safety initiative aimed at preventing sudden cardiac events in school sports. The absence of votes or discussion means the overall sentiment cannot be measured from the supplied record, but the bill’s structure suggests a preventive health focus rather than a fiscal or regulatory rollback.
Contention
The main likely point of contention is the mandate for an electrocardiogram or echocardiogram for all covered student athletes, which could raise concerns about cost, access, administrative burden, and whether universal cardiac testing is medically necessary. School districts and families may also question who pays for the testing and how quickly students can obtain clearance. Supporters would likely emphasize early detection of heart conditions and athlete safety, while critics may focus on implementation challenges and the potential for false positives or unequal access to testing.
Relating to prevention of and safety requirements regarding sudden cardiac arrest affecting public school students participating in interscholastic athletics.
In school health services, further providing for automatic external defibrillators, providing for automated external defibrillators and training, further providing for sudden cardiac arrest and electrocardiogram testing and providing for electrocardiogram testing for interscholastic athletics; and, in terms and courses of study, further providing for cardiopulmonary resuscitation education.