Bill Text: NJ A4207 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires public school students with concussion to be evaluated by licensed health care professionals before return to school; requires school districts to provide restrictions or limitations to student as needed.*
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 28-6)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-01-11 - Passed by the Assembly (75-0-0) [A4207 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A4207-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Requires public school student with concussion to be evaluated by physician before return to school and school district to provide accommodations to student as needed.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the health of students and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A student enrolled in a school district who sustains a concussion shall receive an evaluation by a physician trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and written clearance from the physician to return to school. In the event that the physician provides notice that the student requires accommodations for learning, the school district shall immediately implement the accommodations and shall notify all teachers and staff who have contact with students of the accommodations. The school district's child study team shall promptly evaluate the student in order to identify the manner in which the accommodations will be provided to the student during recovery and the need for the continuation or adjustment of the accommodations, and to determine the duration of the accommodations.
b. A student enrolled in a school district who sustains a concussion is prohibited from engaging in any physical activity at school including, but not limited to, recess, physical education, sports, or cheerleading, and shall not participate in any physical activity at school until he is evaluated by a physician trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and receives written clearance from the physician to participate in physical activity.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that a student enrolled in a school district who sustains a concussion must receive an evaluation by a physician trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and written clearance from the physician to return to school. In the event that the physician provides notice that the student requires accommodations for learning, the school district must immediately implement the accommodations and notify all teachers and staff who have contact with the student of the accommodations. The school district's child study team will promptly evaluate the student in order to identify the manner in which the accommodations will be provided to the student during recovery and the need for the continuation or adjustment of the accommodations, and to determine the duration of the accommodations.
The bill also provides that a student enrolled in a school district who sustains a concussion is prohibited from engaging in any physical activity at school including, but not limited to, recess, physical education, sports, or cheerleading. The student may not participate in any physical activity until he is evaluated by a physician and receives written clearance to participate.
The sponsor's intent is to have the child study team use the physician's diagnosis and recommendations to guide accommodations upon the student's return to school for the period of time prescribed by the physician.
