NC Education Code · Regulation
Title 16 — root / Chapter 06 — 16 NCAC 06E .0205
Plain English summary
This rule establishes student health and safety requirements for interscholastic athletic activities, focusing on concussion management and emergency preparedness. Administering organizations must annually distribute concussion information sheets to all relevant parties, and students showing concussion symptoms must be immediately removed from play and may not return without written medical clearance. Each participating school must also develop, post, and annually rehearse a venue-specific emergency action plan covering roles, communications, equipment, and transport.
Key requirements
- An administering organization shall, on an annual basis, provide a concussion and head injury information sheet to all coaches, school nurses, athletic directors, first responders, volunteers, and students who participate in interscholastic athletic activities, and the parents or legal guardians of those students.
- School employees, first responders, volunteers, and students shall sign the information sheet and return it to the coach before participating in interscholastic athletic activities, including tryouts, practices, or competition.
- Parents shall sign the information sheet and return it to the coach before a child may participate in any such interscholastic athletic activities.
- If a coach, athletic director, school nurse, athletic trainer, or first responder determines that a student participating in an interscholastic athletic activity is exhibiting signs or symptoms consistent with concussion, the student shall be removed from the activity at the time and shall not be allowed to return to play or practice that day.
- A student removed from play for exhibiting signs or symptoms consistent with concussion shall not return to play or practice on a subsequent day until the student is evaluated by and receives written clearance for such participation from one of the following licensed professionals.
- Each participating school shall develop a venue-specific emergency action plan to deal with serious injuries and acute medical conditions in which the condition of the patient may deteriorate rapidly.
- The plan must be in writing, reviewed by a licensed athletic trainer, approved by the principal of the school, distributed to all appropriate personnel, posted conspicuously for community and parental awareness at all athletic-sponsored venues, and reviewed and rehearsed annually.
- Each participating school's emergency management plan shall include a delineation of roles, methods of communication, available emergency equipment, and access to and plan for emergency transport.
- Each school shall maintain complete and accurate records of its compliance with the requirements of this Rule.
Affected parties
- students participating in interscholastic athletic activities
- parents and legal guardians of student athletes
- coaches
- school nurses
- athletic directors
- athletic trainers
- first responders
- volunteers
- physicians
- neuropsychologists
- physician assistants
- nurse practitioners
- school principals
- administering organizations
- participating schools