OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington now has what advocates say is the nation’s toughest law regulating when high school athletes can return to games after having sustained a concussion.
The law signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday prohibits athletes under 18 suspected of sustaining a concussion from returning to play without a licensed health care provider’s approval.
The law also requires each of the state’s school districts to work with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to develop a standard for educating coaches, players and parents of the dangers of concussions and head injuries.
The law is named after Zackery Lystedt, a 16-year-old in Maple Valley who suffered a life-threatening brain injury in 2006 after he returned to play football following a concussion.
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