Governor signs Irwin’s legislation to create a centralized concussion reporting system for school sports into law
A bill seeking to create a centralized reporting system for data relating to concussion rates in school sports was recently signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee.
House Bill 2731 was authored by Rep. Morgan Irwin, R-Enumclaw.
Under Irwin's bill, beginning in the 2020-21 academic year, schools will report information about each head injury sustained during athletic and other activities to the Department of Health (DOH), thus creating a centralized system on data relating to concussion rates, patterns, trends and other relevant information.
“We should have the appropriate data to keep our young athletes healthy, safe, and active. Many school districts are making decisions to limit certain activities based on a small number of adverse events, not actual data I believe that by having adequate data is important to better track any trends that need to be addressed to minimize future injuries,” said Irwin. “The goal is not to fundamentally change the sports our kids are participating in, but to conduct the sports in the safest manner possible.”
House Bill 2731 will:
- Require public schools to annually report information about each diagnosed concussion sustained by a student during athletic and other activities to the Department of Health (DOH), beginning with the 2020-21 school year.
- Directs the DOH to develop a procedure on collecting student concussion information and submit an annual report to the Legislature and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), beginning October 1, 2021.
Irwin's bill passed the Legislature with unanimous bipartisan support. It will go into effect later this year.
The Legislature adjourned on March 12.
