Bill of Rights

The Secondary School Student Athletes' Bill of Rights- Protecting America's Student Athletes
(As taken from this months' NATA News)
1. Student athletes have the right to be coached by individuals who are well trained in sports-specific safety and to be monitored by athletic health care team members.
Are your coaches CPR and first aid certified?  Are they aware when athletes are not taped/braced?  If a helmet is fitted properly?  
2. Student athletes have the right to quality, regular pre-participation examinations and each athlete has the right to participate under a comprehensive management plan.
Are there concussion management protocols in place at your school?  Are these protocols outdated, or do they need to be reviewed to determine if they are in line with current documentation?
3.  Student athletes have the right to participate in sporting activities on safe, clean playing surfaces, in both indoor and outdoor facilities.
4. Student athletes have the right to utilize equipment and uniforms that are safe, fitted appropriately and routinely maintained, and to appropriate personnel trained in proper removal of equipment in case of emergency.
Have the AED's, spine boards, and splints been routinely checked?  Are the student athletes practicing in outdated and hazardous pads and face masks?  Are the braces and sleeves we provide worn, and past the point of serving their intended purpose?  
5.  Student athletes have the right to participate safely in all environmental conditions where play follows approved guidelines and medical policies and procedures, with a hydration plan in place.
This is not just limited to football practices.  Are the swimmers practicing in a grounded pool, and do you have the documentation on file?  When you are unable to travel with the team, are you aware of the host school's policies and hydration plans?
6.  Student athletes have the right to a safe playing environment with venue-specific emergency action plans that are coordinated by the athletic health care team and regularly rehearsed with local emergency personnel.
If road or building construction will change the entry or exit for an emergency vehicle to the scene, is this something that is discussed before an event takes place?  
7.  Student athletes have the right to privacy of health information and proper referral for medical, psychological and nutritional counseling.
8.  Student athletes have the right to participate in a culture that finds "playing through pain" unacceptable unless there has been a medical assessment.
9.  Student athletes have the right to immediate, on-site injury assessments with decisions made by qualified sports medicine professionals.
10.  Student athletes have the right, along with their parents, to the latest information about the benefits and potential risks of participation in competitive sports, including access to statistics of fatalities and catastrophic injuries to youth athletes.
These statistics can be provided at pre-participatin exams, and/or in take-home tryout letters.  There are also posters and flyers that can be put up around the athletic facility.  Student athletes and parents should also be aware of the risks of taking medications without reporting them to the athletic health care personnel. 

These rights were adopted at the Annual Youth Sports Safety Summit Feb. 5-6 in Washington, D.C.  100 different organizations were represented at this summit to advocate the protection of our young athletes on Capitol Hill.  My comments are nearly meant to be suggestions and questions to help you look at these issues from a different perspective.