Oklahoma's youth sports concussion safety statute, signed into law by Governor Brad Henry on May 14, 2010, is modeled on Washington's Zackery Lystedt Law.
The Oklahoma law provides for:
- Guidelines/education: requires school district boards of education and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association to develop concussion guidelines and education programs
- Informed consent to play: requires youth athletes and a parent and/or guardian sign and return a concussion and head injury information sheet on a yearly basis before the athlete's first practice or being allowed to compete;
- Immediate removal if concussion suspected: Youth athletes suspected of having sustained a concussion in a practice or game must be immediately removed from competition; and
- Return to play after medical clearance: Youth athletes who have been taken out of a game because of a suspected concussion are not be allowed to return to play until after they have been evaluated by a licensed health care provider with specific training in the evaluation and management of concussions and received written clearance to return to play from that health care provider, who may be a volunteer (note: this provision does not strictly bar same day return to play).
Posted March 13, 2011
