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1994 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 165
Requesting the Department of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Health, to study the need for guidelines for health requirements for sports participation in the public schools.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 14, 1994
Agreed to by the Senate, March 8, 1994

WHEREAS, participation in scholastic athletic competition provides many students with invaluable opportunities for personal growth and enrichment; and

WHEREAS, while academic eligibility requirements for sports participation may assist student athletes in maintaining scholastic excellence, ensuring the health of all student athletes in the public schools must remain a primary concern as well; and

WHEREAS, recent outbreaks of contagious diseases, such as measles and mumps, may indicate that some students have not been appropriately immunized against these illnesses, which could be easily spread to others not only during the school day but also during athletic competitions; and

WHEREAS, while § 22.1-271.2 requires evidence of student immunization against certain specified illnesses upon admission to the public schools, additional medical examinations prior to sports participation might assist in the detection of any latent illnesses or conditions that might prove harmful to the student who engages in athletic competition; and

WHEREAS, while consistency in any requirements for student health assessments for sports participation is critical to ensure the health and safety of all students, further study is necessary to determine the propriety and scope of any uniform guidelines; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Health, be requested to study the need for guidelines for health requirements for sports participation in the public schools. In conducting the study, the department shall coordinate with the Virginia High School League. The Department shall review, among other things, current practices in the Commonwealth's public schools and in other states and shall make recommendations specifying those illnesses and conditions that can and should be detected prior to authorizing sports participation and designating the appropriate roles of the Departments of Education and Health, local school divisions, coaches, teachers, parents, and students in developing these guidelines.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department, upon request.

The Department shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1995 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.