Title 40. Public Health and Safety

Chapter 5-a. Health Provisions: Children

Part VII. Youth Sports Injury

Subpart B. Louisiana Youth Concussion Act

40:1089.4       Removal from and return to play

A. A coach who is required to complete concussion recognition education pursuant to this Subpart shall immediately remove any youth athlete from a game, competition, or practice if any of the following occurs: 

(1) The youth athlete reports any defined sign or symptom of a concussion and is reasonably suspected of having sustained a concussion. 

(2) The coach, athletic trainer, or official determines that the youth athlete exhibits any defined sign or symptom of a concussion and he reasonably suspects that the youth athlete has sustained a concussion. 

(3) The coach or official is notified that the youth athlete has reported or exhibited any defined sign or symptom of a concussion and is reasonably suspected of sustaining a concussion by any of the following persons: 

(a) A licensed, registered, or certified medical healthcare provider operating within his scope of practice. The medical healthcare provider performing an evaluation, for the purposes of this Subsection, upon a youth athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion or brain injury may be a volunteer.

(b) Any other licensed, registered, or certified individual whose scope of practice includes the recognition of concussion symptoms. The individual performing an evaluation, for the purposes of this Subsection, upon a youth athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion or brain injury may be a volunteer. 

B. If a youth athlete is removed from play pursuant to this Section and the signs and symptoms cannot be readily explained by a condition other than concussion, the coach shall notify the athlete’s parent or legal guardian and shall not permit the youth athlete to return to play or participate in any supervised team activities involving physical exertion, including games, competitions, or practices, until the youth athlete is evaluated by a healthcare provider and receives written clearance from the healthcare provider for a full or graduated return to play. 

C. After a youth athlete who has sustained a concussion or head injury has been evaluated and received clearance for a graduated return to play from a healthcare provider, an organization or association of which a school or school district is a member, a private or public school, a private club, a public recreation facility, or an athletic league may allow a licensed athletic trainer with specific knowledge of the athlete’s condition to manage the athlete’s graduated return to play. 

D. This Section does not create any liability for, or create a cause of action against, a school, its officers, or its employees, an organization or association of which a school or school district is a member, a private or public school, a private club, a public recreation facility, or an athletic league when such person or entity has complied with the provisions of this Subpart. 

Redesignated from R.S. 40:1299.184 by H.C.R. No. 84 of the 2015 Regular Session. Added by Acts 2011, No. 314, § 1, eff. June 28, 2011. Amended by Acts 2018, No. 206, § 4.