What's a Physical
Student collapses from a seizure and goes into cardiac arrest after a cross country meet. Student is stabilized with AED and rushed to hospital and passes away later that night at the hospital.
Union Pines HS - 2018
Hypothetical - The student's physical expired a month earlier. Family claims she should not have been participating in that meet to begin with and overexertion caused her seizure, her cardiac arrest, and ultimately her death.
In court, the family's attorney asks you, as the athletic director, why was she allowed to participate without an updated preparticipation sports physical to begin with?
How do you answer that question?
A student reports to you that the new assistant basketball coach, someone you have known for years, verbally assaulted them in the locker room before practice. You gather information and report to all necessary personnel.
Parents report this incident to authorities and upon further investigation, that coach had not been cleared by HR and not completed the background check.
In court, the family's attorney asks you, as the athletic director, why was this individual allowed to be around students without following ABSS requirements to begin with?
How do you answer that question?
A student is injured during football practice. Fractured femur. Student is rushed to the hospital and undergoes emergency surgery. Student is unable to regain mobility due to ligament tears that occured in the knee. Student never plays again.
His parents discover he was academically ineligible and should not have been participating in the first place. Family claims that due to new NIL regulations, his inability to play could constitute lost wages and future endorsements.
In court, the families attorney asks you, as the athletic director, why was he allowed to participate in football to begin with, while being academically ineligible in accordance to ABSS and NC DPI?
How do you answer that question?
You have been telling your soccer coach to complete everything in DragonFly because they are missing some items. Central office staff has notified you to not allow coaches to coach while missing paperwork. Practices and games still continue with them present.
During a game, a student suffers a major hit to the head and comes out for a series. After about 10 minutes the coach puts him back in. He takes another major hit to the head and collapses on the field. He is rushed to the hospital, and later passes away.
It is later determined that the student suffered Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) during this game. The family files a wrongful death suit against the school.
In court, the family's attorney asks you, as the athletic director, why this coach was allowed to coach this team without having completed the Gfeller-Waller Concussion Awareness Act information sheet to where he would have know the seriousness of SIS?
How do you answer that question?
2 Part Questions - A student collapses on the field and becomes non-responsive and is not breathing. The coach begins CPR and tells someone to get the AED. No one there knows where the AED is located or how to get to it. The coach stops CPR to call 911 and then continues CPR. The ambulance arrives in 10 minutes and takes over. The student later passes away in the ambulance.
Matthew Mangine - Northern Kentucky HS
In court, the family's attorney, asks you, as the athletic director, has anyone at Central Office requested an Emergency Action Plan from you and explained how to complete an EAP, get it approved by an Athletic Trainer, and to have venue specific EAPs posted at every location?
How would you answer that question?
Why was an Emergency Action Plan not posted so people could see where the nearest AED was, and why was an AED not readily available?
How would you answer that question?
A bus carrying your cheerleaders is involved in a major accident on the way to an away game. The wreck involves the death of a cheerleader. When the family attempts to make an insurance claim, the insurance provider requests the master eligibility sheet verified by school personnel that represents the students involvement on the cheerleading team. The sheets that were verified by the principal and athletic director submitted to Central Office did not include those individuals names.
In court, the family's attorney asks you, as the athletic director, why was this student allowed to travel with the cheerleading team if she wasn't on the master eligibility sheet that you verified and submitted to central office? How do we know she was on the team and cleared to be present at the time of the accident?
How would you answer that question?
What is the possible punishment for failure to follow Gfeller-Waller Concussion Awareness Act protocol?
A $1000 fine for non-compliance and a $500 fine per venue for failure to post venue specific emergency action plans. Suspension of negligence has the ability to turn into a civil suit against coaches, athletic directors, principals, and more.
What is the District Director of Athletics Role in this?
Provide the tools and resources necessary to keep everyone safe. Answer any questions you may have, and direct you to the right person if I can't help.
"I will defend you tooth and nail, until I can't. And then I won't!"