House Bill 284, also known as The Return To Play Act, was signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal in April 2013. The Law requires Gordon County Parks & Recreation to provide parents or guardians with educational information pertaining to the nature and risk of concussion and head injury at the time of registration for any youth athletic activity.
The Law has three basic components;
- Prior to the beginning of each athletic season of a youth activity, an information sheet must be provided to all youth athletes’ parents or legal guardians which informs them of the nature and risk of concussions and head injury;
- If a youth athlete participating in a youth activity exhibits symptoms of having a concussion, that athlete shall be removed from the game, competition, tryout or practice and be evaluated by a health care provider; and
- If a youth athlete has been deemed by a health care provider to have sustained a concussion, the coach or other designated personnel shall not permit the youth athlete to return to play until the youth athlete receives clearance from a health care provider for a full or graduated return to play.
The CDC offers a free online training course for youth coaches, volunteers, officials/referees, staff etc. The training course takes about 30-40 minutes to complete. All youth coaches will be strongly encouraged to take this free course. For more information regarding the Return To Play Act, please contact the Parks & Recreation Department at 706-602-4435.
