A newly signed Indiana law creates one of the most extensive concussion-training requirements for coaches who work with students in grades five through 12. The law, which takes effect in July of 2017, mandates that coaches for all public school sports complete a course on concussion recognition and will give civil immunity to coaches who complete the course from being sued for student injuries.
The new statute expands on Indiana’s current laws that require only high school football coaches to undergo training. Concussions are at the forefront of leagues’ minds these days, as the NFL and NCAA face numerous lawsuits from players who say they weren’t properly informed of the risk of concussions. During the 2014-15 school year, the Indiana High School Athletics Association received nearly 22-hundred reports of concussive events.
