On April 21, 2011, North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple signed Senate Bill 2281 into law requiring that all schools in the state that sponsor or sanction athletic activities adopt a concussion management program and outlining the specific requirements that must be included in the program. North Dakota became the fourteenth state to enact a strong youth sports concussion safety law since May 2009 (a number that has swelled to 31 plus the District of Columbia, as of January 2, 2012).
Key provision of the legislation include:
"The importance of this bill begins and ends with our youth in North Dakota," said Sen. Spencer Berry, physician and primary bill sponsor, in a statement on the governor's website. "They will live a lifetime with their brains and bodies long after youth athletic activities are behind them. Concussion management programs are designed to provide an avenue for these student athletes to be properly recognized, evaluated and treated for a traumatic brain injury that may occur while participating in school sponsored athletic activities."
The state High School Activities Association has similar rules already in place.
Posted April 22, 2011; revised January 2, 2012
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/node/149
[2] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/every-state-has-youth-sports-concussion-safety-law