Thank you for subscribing to Texas Education News

This page references
link(s), website(s)
and or document(s)
from articles in the
April 27, 2020, issue.
(Vol. 37 / Issue 14)


Note:
Older links may have expired
and/or may,
no longer be available
due to circumstances
beyond our control.

Texas Education News
is not responsible
for the content of documents and other information
that may be obtained from outside sources and websites.



========
Note:
Due to logistical
issues related to
COVID-19,
this is the first issue to be published since April 6.

Please visit:
texednews.com/update
for additional info, including how you
can change
your mailing address to avoid missing
any issues.

THANK YOU!

• Recommended that for the entire 2020-21 school year, junior high and high school student athletes — and high school marching band members — won’t have to get physicals unless their answers on the annual UIL pre-participation forms automatically require a physical.

  The recommendation, expected to be approved by the league, affects student athletes in 7th grade, and marching band and student athletes in grades 9 and 11. (Marching band starts in 9th grade.).

  The discussion on this item centered on the difficulty schools this school year would have in scheduling UIL-required physicals for affected students for the upcoming school year due to COVID-19 school closures. Schools can still mandate student physicals that go beyond the UIL’s requirements.

  UPDATE: The MAC held a brief meeting on April 24 (webcast) to clarify the provisions on UIL-required physicals to specify that if a student athlete or UIL marching band member hasn't had a physical before, the student must have a physical before participating in affected UIL activity.

  This would mean that:

  -- Seventh grade UIL athletes and 9th grade UIL marching band members must have a UIL-required physical to participate.

  --Students in other grades for junior high and high school athletics would only have to have a UIL-required physical if they or their parents check off relevant questions on annual pre-participation medical forms that must be completed annually OR if the student had not previously had a UIL-required physical.

  The UIL has scheduled a May 1 meeting of the league's Legislative Council (webcast/agenda), in which action could be taken to formally approve the MAC recommendations on student physicals.

• Agreed to continue the mandate, for next school year, for 6A schools to participate in the student athlete concussions study being conducted by UT Southwestern Medical School, to allow time for members of the committee and researchers to determine if changes need to be made in the project.

• Received the first reports filed with the UIL under a new mandate that schools submit forms summarizing instances when an automated external defibrillator (AED) was used in conjunction with UIL activities, and when a catastrophic injury occurred.

  From August to December 2019, two high schools — Plano ISD East and Corpus Christi ISD Moody submitted AED forms to the UIL.

  Four high schools — Alvarado ISD, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Trinity, Fort Bend ISD Austin and Mathis ISD submitted catastrophic injury reports.

  The committee questioned the definition of “catastrophic injuries” on the forms, which is defined on the form as (to summarize) various types of serious and nonserious injuries and can include injuries for which an athlete fully recovers. Staff said the definition was taken from an authoritative source.

• Scheduled its next meeting for Sept. 13, with the possibility of also meeting in June or July.