[Adopted 12-15-2009 by L.L. No. 44-2009 (Ch. 419, Art. III,
of the 1985 Code)]
A.
This Legislature hereby finds and determines that children and young
adults often play on one or more organized sports teams in order to
stay physically fit, build confidence and learn leadership and teamwork
skills.
B.
This Legislature also finds and determines that, recently, concussions
have become a growing concern among parents and coaches of youth sports.
C.
This Legislature further finds and determines that during the 2007-2008
school year, high school athletes alone reported approximately 137,000
concussions, and it is believed that thousands more went unreported
or undiagnosed.
D.
This Legislature finds that a concussion occurs when there is a bump,
blow or jolt to the head or body which causes the brain to move rapidly
inside the skull, and concussions range in seriousness from mild to
severe.
E.
This Legislature determines that an athlete who has suffered a concussion
may not exhibit symptoms of the injury for minutes or hours after
the incident and does not always lose consciousness.
F.
This Legislature also finds that once a concussion has been sustained
by a young athlete, he or she is at an increased risk for sustaining
additional concussions while his or her body heals from the initial
injury. Such additional injuries may trigger second-impact syndrome,
a rare but serious condition that causes permanent brain damage or
death.
G.
This Legislature further finds that athletes of any age who suffer
a concussion, but especially young athletes, should seek the care
of a medical doctor and should not be allowed to return to play until
they have been cleared by the doctor.
H.
This Legislature also determines that young athletes take longer
to recover from concussions, leading the 2008 International Conference
on Concussion in Sport to recommend that athletes under the age of
18 who suffer a concussion refrain from engaging in sports until a
doctor declares them completely symptom free.
I.
This Legislature further determines that Suffolk County wants to
ensure that the parents of children involved in sports programs receive
necessary information about concussion as a means to improve the safety
of youth sports and increase awareness about the dangers of concussion.
J.
Therefore, the purpose of this article is to require County-contracted
youth sports agencies to provide parents with information on youth
sports and concussion and prevent children suspected of suffering
from concussion to resume play until they are medically cleared.
As used in this article, the following term shall have the meaning
indicated:
An organization which organizes and operates community youth
sports leagues or teams.
A.
Prior to the award of a County contract, grant or funding to a youth
sports agency, the youth sports agency shall develop a written plan
or policy to address incidents of possible or actual concussion or
other head injury among participants in the agency's program.
The youth sports agency shall provide a copy of its written plan or
policy to the administering department or agency at the time it makes
an application to the County for a grant or funding.
B.
All County contracts with youth sports agencies shall contain a provision
setting forth the requirement that the youth sports agency must develop
and maintain a written plan or policy to address incidents of possible
or actual concussion or other head injury among program participants.
This article shall apply to all contracts entered into on or
after the effective date of this article.
