GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida High School Athletic Association’s
Board of Directors conducted an
emergency meeting on Thursday.
During the meeting, the Board was presented with, and supported a
proposed change to the Pre-Participation Examination (PPE) as required by Florida Statute 1002.20(17)(b), 1006.20(2)(c) and FHSAA Bylaw 9.7 to ensure safe participation in sports by student athletes.
The proposal submitted and endorsed by the FHSAA Executive Director, Craig Damon, recommends adopting the
Sports Medicine Advisory Committee’s (SMAC) proposed form with the exception of removing questions 30-33. Furthermore, only the fourth page of the EL2 (the medical eligibility form) will be submitted to the member school. The qualified health care practitioner performing the examination or parent/guardian will retain the medical history and/or examination form (pages 1-3). The motion to accept the new PPE form was approved by a vote of 14-2 by the Board of Directors.
It is important to understand that the intention of this proposal is to provide an updated PPE form that ensures health, safety, and risk minimization for the student-athletes in Florida. Further the FHSAA values and protects student-athlete’s privacy while including pertinent medical information that a health care provider at a member school would need access to in the event of a medical emergency.
Lastly, the concerns of student-athletes, parents, SMAC, and other stakeholders have been carefully and respectfully heard. The FHSAA shares in the concern and belief that our student-athletes deserve privacy through their health, safety, and well-being. This change addresses concerns of students and parents’ disapproval of the sharing of a female’s menstrual cycle, as well as medical information being viewed by non-healthcare providers at FHSAA member schools, while ensuring that the on-site health care provider can provide necessary care for our student-athletes as suggested by the SMAC.
Craig Damon, FHSAA Executive Director said, “Thank you to the SMAC and all other stakeholders who provided insight which resulted in reaching the best decision for the student-athletes in the state of Florida.”
The FHSAA Board of Directors is slated to convene again for their third regularly scheduled meeting of the 2022-23 school year on February 26th-27th in Gainesville at the FHSAA office.
Meeting Resources:
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at over 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.