Protecting Student Athletes From Concussions Act of 2017

Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act of 2017

This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to condition each state's receipt of ESEA funds, beginning in FY2019, on the state's enforcement of specified minimum requirements for the prevention and treatment of concussions.

Each local educational agency must develop and implement a standard plan for concussion safety and management that includes: (1) the education of students, parents, and school personnel about concussions; (2) specified supports for each student recovering from a concussion; and (3) best practices designed to ensure the uniformity of safety standards, treatment, and management.

Each public school must post on school grounds and publish on the school website specified information about concussions.

If any public school personnel suspects that a student has sustained a concussion during a school-sponsored activity, the student must be immediately removed from participation in that activity and prohibited from participating in any school-sponsored athletic activities until the student submits a written release from a health care professional. Furthermore, the school personnel must report all available information regarding the injury to a concussion management team that will confirm and report details of the injury to the student's parents.

The school's concussion management team shall consult with and make recommendations to relevant school personnel and the student to ensure that the student is receiving the appropriate academic supports.