The State of Ohio has passed a law in that now requires ALL coaches and referees to receive training on concussions.
Below is one of the announcements regarding this new requirement.
Ohio Law 143 or the Return-To-Play Law went into effect on April 26, 2013. Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich signed the State's new youth concussion rules into law after passage by legislators. The law requires youth coaches, officials and referees to complete free, basic online training about concussions. All coaches (including assistants) and referees are required to take the online concussion course before April 26, 2013. At the present time only the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) certificate will be accepted by AASL until faults in the Center for Disease Control system are fixed. NFHS online training course requires the applicant to view the entire training video before obtaining a certificate. NFHS course (found at http://www.nhfs.org/) will give the AASL and OYSAN the ability to verify the certificate when necessary. The NFHS online training video is free and requires very little time to complete.
Because this is mandated by State law, NRASL is required to maintain compliance by having all of our referees and coaches complete the training. The training is completely free (although it is required to create an account for the training to get your certificate).
So what does this mean for you? Regardless off age, certification or other qualifications, anyone who cannot provide proof of completing this training, is unable to coach or officiate sporting events in the State of Ohio. Once you complete the training, NRASL is asking that our coaches print the certificate and turn it in to the Travel Director or In House Director (depending on if you are a travel coach or in house coach). The Coach should also keep a copy of the certificate for themselves. Many tournaments will require proof of this certification (for travel coaches).
Also, please keep in mind that this does NOT mean that coaches will be expected diagnose a concussion, but instead they will be required to adhere to ANY adult indicators that bring a safety concern to their attention.
There are two courses available, again both are free. Information from Ohio North states:
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Ohio has passed a law, formerly House Bill 143, that requires all Coaches, Referees and league officials to undergo Concussion Awareness training every three years. This law applies to all youth sports including recreational, travel, indoor and premier soccer. The new law, ORC 3707.52, becomes effective April 26, 2013. As part of that law, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is required to produce a Concussion and head injury information sheet and also provide links to free training on concussion awareness. ODH has done that and the information may be found on their web site at http://www.healthyohioprogram.org/concussion.aspx.
The ODH has provided links to two separate free training programs. One is run by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) and the other by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I have taken both and strongly recommend that everyone take the NFHS program found at http://www.nfhslearn.com/electiveDetail.aspx?courseID=38000 for several reasons:
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Many of the leagues within OYSAN are requiring the NFHS course be taken (the second link above). It takes about 20 - 25 minutes. It consists of 5 questions, a series of videos, and a repeat of the 5 questions.