– Today, Governor Phil Murphy signed two bills into law that will enhance student-athlete safety in New Jersey schools.

“School sports are a longstanding part of the fabric of our state,” said Governor Murphy. “By enacting these measures today, we are making sure that student-athletes have the resources and protections to enjoy school sports programs safely.”

“Too often we hear of tragedies occurring on sports fields that could have been avoided if the adults were properly trained to quickly address the situation,” said Dr. Lamont O. Repollet, Commissioner of Education. “The steps that we’re taking today will help provide greater levels of preparedness and protection, which will create a safer environment for student athletes throughout the state.”

S2443 requires each school district that is a member of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is to adopt the association’s “Heat Participation Policy” for conducting practices and competitions in all sports during times of high heat or humidity. Under the bill, the association’s policy must address the scheduling of practices and competitions during times of various heat and humidity levels, the ratio of time devoted to workouts to time allotted for rest and hydration during various heat and humidity levels, and the heat and humidity levels at which practice will be canceled. The bill also requires these school districts to purchase a WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) tool to measure the heat stress in direct sunlight at the practice site. Heat stress consists of temperature, humidity, wind speed, the angle of the sun, and cloud coverage.

Primary sponsors of the bill include Senator Patrick J. Diegnan Jr., and Assemblymembers Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Nancy J, Pinkin, and Angela V. McKnight.

“Our top priority must always be to protect our student-athletes,” said Senator Diegnan. “The presence of high heat and humidity levels during athletic events puts the health and well-being of our student-athletes at risk. We should take every precaution necessary to ensure their safety and to prevent tragedies. New Jersey has become a leader in implementing policies ensuring the safety of student-athletes and this law further raises the bar for student safety standards.”

“New Jersey can proudly tout itself as having the most comprehensive health and safety policies for its student athletes,” said Assemblywoman Huttle. “But following last year’s incident in my very own district, where five Bergen Arts and Science Charter School students suffered heat stroke during gym, it is clear there is more work to be done. Under this law, we can reaffirm New Jersey’s commitment to putting student safety first.”

“Heat stroke from practicing or playing in hot weather can bring on sudden cardiac arrest, causing otherwise healthy student athletes to suffer,” said Assemblywoman Pinkin. “By enacting this legislation, we are arming schools with the appropriate tools and guidelines for safe and responsible action.”

“Accounting for the intensity of weather, especially during New Jersey’s very hot and humid summer months, is extremely important if we want to do our best to safeguard student well-being,” said Assemblywoman McKnight. “By requiring schools to adopt the NJSIAA’s guidelines, we can hold schools accountable to a set standard.”

S2494 requires that any school district that includes any of the grades six through 12 establish and implement an emergency action plan for responding to a serious or potentially life-threatening sports-related injury. The plan will document the proper procedures to be followed when a student sustains a serious injury while participating in sports or other athletic activity. The plan will be specific to the activity site and is required to be developed in consultation with local emergency medical services personnel.

Primary sponsors of the bill include Senators Patrick J. Diegnan Jr., Sandra B. Cunningham and Assemblymembers Benjie E. Wimberly, Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, and Nancy J. Pinkin.

“Emergency action plans equip schools with the ability to effectively act during a scenario where a student suffers a serious injury during a sporting event,” said Senator Diegnan. “It is during these situations where every second matters and this law will ensure our schools are prepared if an emergency arises.”

“In order to ensure the best possible outcomes, schools must be prepared when students sustain severe injuries,” said Senator Cunningham. “By requiring schools to partner with their local emergency medical personnel to establish a response plan, we can make sure proper protocols are in place to treat students when they are seriously hurt during a sporting event.”

“In instances where schools are equipped with the training and procedures to manage injury there are almost always better outcomes,” said Assemblyman Wimberly. “After years in high school athletics myself, I know that injury is sometimes inevitable and that inevitability means we have duty to be prepared for any type of crisis at all times. Our students deserve the best of the best, inside and outside of the classroom, under this law we are holding schools to that promise.”

“Playing and enjoying the sport you love cannot and must not be a potential death sentence,” said Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson. “New Jersey will continue to lead on student health and safety, and we will continue to do so every single day.”

“Sports function to enhance the educational experience of our students,” said Assemblywoman Pinkin. “Making sure our schools are equipped to handle injury whether it’s a broken bone, concussion or a heart attack is about safeguarding the collective well-being of our student body and maintaining the trust between schools, students and their parents.”

“We’re proud that Gov. Murphy signed S2443 and S2494 into law today,” said Marie Blistan, President of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). Students benefit from participation in school sports, and these laws will help keep kids safe and schools prepared to act in the event of an emergency. We applaud the Murphy administration for enacting these simple, yet powerful measures to improve yet another facet of public education.”

“On behalf of the nearly 285,000 New Jersey interscholastic athletes we serve, we applaud the governor and legislature for taking important strides to protect the safety and wellbeing of these students,” said Larry White, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). “By supporting our state’s nationally recognized heat and humidity policy and helping our member schools upgrade safety and security measures, they’ve affirmed New Jersey’s role as a national leader in safeguarding the needs of student athletes.”

The Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey, Inc. (ATSNJ) is excited and extremely pleased to see Governor Murphy signing these two pieces of legislation into law,” said Kevin W. Brile, A.T., C., CSCS, EMT-B, President of the Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey, Inc. “Requiring New Jersey’s schools to establish an Athletics’ Emergency Action Plan and follow the State’s Heat Participation Policy helps ensure safer participation by their student-athletes. Licensed athletic trainers strive to provide the safest competitive environment for their athletes and will continue to advocate for the health, safety, and wellness of the state’s physically active.”

“We are pleased that steps are being taken to address students’ safety in regard to heat stress which is often experienced during school sports,” said Heather Sorge, Campaign Organizer for Healthy Schools Now, NJ Work Environment Council. “As New Jersey continues to suffer the impact of climate change, having policies and emergency plans to protect our student-athletes in extreme temperatures is critical to their health and well being. These bills highlight the importance of emergency preparedness, something the NJ Work Environment Council strongly promotes.”