(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Exertional heat illness” means an illness resulting from engaging in physical activity in the heat, including, but not limited to, heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion and heat stroke;
(2) “Heat cramps” means sudden or progressively and noticeably evolving, involuntary, painful contractions of skeletal muscle during or after engaging in physical activity in the heat;
(3) “Heat exhaustion” means the inability to effectively engage in physical activity in the heat, secondary to a combination of factors, including, but not limited to, cardiovascular insufficiency, hypotension, energy depletion and central fatigue and is manifested by an elevated core body temperature and associated with a high rate or volume of skin blood flow, heavy sweating and dehydration;
(4) “Heat stroke” means a medical emergency characterized by neuropsychiatric impairment and a high core body temperature, typically 105.8° Fahrenheit or above;
(5) “Heat syncope” means sudden dizziness, feeling faint and fainting experienced after engaging in physical activity in the heat; and
(6) “Intramural or interscholastic athletics” shall include any activity sponsored by a school or local education agency, as defined in section 10-15f, or an organization sanctioned by the local education agency that involves any athletic contest, practice, scrimmage, competition, demonstration, display or club activity.
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year thereafter, any person who holds or is issued a coaching permit by the State Board of Education and is a coach of intramural or interscholastic athletics shall complete an exertional heat illness awareness education program prior to commencing the coaching assignment for the season of such intramural or interscholastic athletics. Such program shall be developed or approved pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year thereafter, any person who holds or is issued a coaching permit by the State Board of Education and is a coach of intramural or interscholastic athletics shall annually review the program developed or approved pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, prior to commencing the coaching assignment for the season of such intramural or interscholastic athletics.
(c) On or before January 1, 2022, the governing authority for intramural and interscholastic athletics, in consultation with an appropriate organization representing licensed athletic trainers, an organization representing sports medical doctors, an organization that researches best practices in managing heat illness, and an organization representing county medical associations, shall develop or approve an exertional heat illness awareness education program for use by local and regional boards of education. Such program shall be published on the State Board of Education's Internet web site and shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) the recognition of the symptoms of an exertional heat illness, (2) the means of obtaining proper medical treatment for a person suspected of having an exertional heat illness, and (3) the nature and risk of exertional heat illness, including the danger of continuing to engage in athletic activity after sustaining exertional heat illness and the proper method of allowing a student athlete who has sustained exertional heat illness to return to athletic activity.
(d) On or before October 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the governing authority for intramural and interscholastic athletics, in consultation with an appropriate organization representing licensed athletic trainers, an organization representing sports medical doctors, an organization that researches best practices in managing heat illness and an organization representing county medical associations, shall develop or approve annual review materials regarding current and relevant information regarding exertional heat illness for use by local and regional boards of education.
(e) On or before January 1, 2022, the governing authority for intramural and interscholastic athletics, in consultation with an appropriate organization representing licensed athletic trainers, an organization representing sports medical doctors, an organization that researches best practices in managing heat illness and an organization representing county medical associations, shall develop a model exertional heat illness awareness plan for use by local and regional boards of education. Each local and regional board of education shall implement such plan by utilizing written materials, online training or videos or in-person training that shall address, at a minimum: (1) The recognition of signs or symptoms of exertional heat illness, (2) the means of obtaining proper medical treatment for a person suspected of an exertional heat illness, (3) the nature and risks of exertional heat illness, including the danger of continuing to engage in athletic activity after experiencing exertional heat illness, (4) the proper procedures for allowing a student athlete who has experienced exertional heat illness to return to athletic activity, and (5) best practices in the prevention and treatment of exertional heat illness.
(f) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall prohibit a student athlete from participating in any intramural or interscholastic activity unless the student athlete, and a parent or guardian of such student athlete, (1) reads written materials, (2) views online training or videos, or (3) attends in-person training developed or approved pursuant to this section. Acknowledgment of adherence to this standard by the student athlete and the parent or guardian shall be made by the parent's or guardian's signature on an athletic participation informed consent form issued by the applicable local or regional board of education.
(g) The State Board of Education may revoke the coaching permit, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (i) of section 10-145b, of any coach found to be in violation of this section.
(P.A. 21-87, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 21-87 effective July 1, 2021.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Title 10 - Education and Culture
Chapter 166 - Teachers and Superintendents
Section 10-144o. - Definitions.
Section 10-145a. (Formerly Sec. 10-146). - Specific components of teacher preparation programs.
Section 10-145b. - Teaching certificates.
Section 10-145c. - Election of persons certified provisionally before July 1, 1974.
Section 10-145e. - Certification for occupational subjects.
Section 10-145f. - Testing for prospective teachers.
Section 10-145g. - Regulations.
Section 10-145h. - Requirements for certification as a bilingual education teacher.
Section 10-145j. - Employment of national corps of teachers' training program graduates.
Section 10-145k. - Issuance of international teacher permit.
Section 10-145l. - Waiver from subject area major requirements for certain teachers.
Section 10-145m. - Resident teacher certificate.
Section 10-145n. - Issuance of adjunct instructor permit.
Section 10-145q. - Issuance of charter school educator permit.
Section 10-145r. - Survey on reading instruction.
Section 10-145s. - Distinguished educator designation.
Section 10-145y. - Issuance of career and technical pathways instructor permit.
Section 10-146a. - Advisory board on state certification of teachers.
Section 10-146f. - Waiver of certification requirements for bilingual teachers.
Section 10-146g. - Teachers of specialized courses.
Section 10-146h. - Report re quality of teacher preparation programs.
Section 10-146i. - Military spouse teacher permit.
Section 10-147 and 10-148. - Kindergarten certificates. Teacher to have certificate.
Section 10-148a. - Professional development for certified employees.
Section 10-148d. - Professional development for paraeducators.
Section 10-149. - Qualifications for athletic coaches of intramural and interscholastic athletics.
Section 10-149d. - Athletic directors. Definitions. Qualifications and hiring. Duties.
Section 10-149f. - Sudden cardiac arrest awareness education program. Consent form.
Section 10-149h. - Exertional heat illness awareness education program.
Section 10-150 and 10-150a. - School registers.
Section 10-151a. - Access of teacher to supervisory records and reports in personnel file.
Section 10-151c. - Nondisclosure of records of teacher performance and evaluation. Exceptions.
Section 10-151d. - Performance Evaluation Advisory Council. Responsibilities.
Section 10-151f. - Teacher evaluation and support pilot program.
Section 10-151g. - Neag School of Education study of teacher evaluation and support pilot program.
Section 10-151i. - Audits of teacher evaluation and support programs.
Section 10-152. - Discrimination in salaries of teachers.
Section 10-153b. - Selection of teachers' representatives.
Section 10-153c. - Disputes as to elections.
Section 10-153f. - Mediation and arbitration of disagreements.
Section 10-153h. - Appropriation.
Section 10-153i. - Designation of statutory agent for service of process.
Section 10-153j. - The making of service of process, notice or demand.
Section 10-153o. - Review of performance of arbitration panel members.
Section 10-153t. - Turnaround plan referees.
Section 10-154. - Homes and transportation for teachers.
Section 10-155. - Emergency teacher training program.
Section 10-155cc. - Definitions.
Section 10-155f. - Residency requirement prohibited.
Section 10-155g. - Educational Excellence Trust Fund.
Section 10-155i. - Pilot program to assist paraprofessionals.
Section 10-155j. - Development of paraprofessionals.
Section 10-155k. - School Paraeducator Advisory Council.
Section 10-155l. - Minority teacher recruitment.
Section 10-155m. - Promotion of teaching profession as career option to high school students.
Section 10-156a. - Duty-free lunch period.
Section 10-156aa. - Task Force to Diversify the Educator Workforce.
Section 10-156bb. - Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council.
Section 10-156c. - Military leave.
Section 10-156cc. - Report re effectiveness of minority teacher recruitment programs.
Section 10-156d. - Reemployment after military leave.
Section 10-156dd. - Student survey re minority teacher recruitment programs.
Section 10-156ee. - Duties re minority teacher recruitment.
Section 10-156gg. - Minority candidate certification, retention or residency year program.
Section 10-156ii. - Minority teacher candidate scholarship program.
Section 10-157a. - Superintendent for more than one town.
Section 10-158. - Superintendent for more than one town. Supervision districts.