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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
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\I" 
SENATE 
S. No. 
573 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago " 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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The involvement in sports can have tremendous benefits for the physical, social, 
emotional, and cognitive development of students. However, one risk of engaging in sports is 
sports-related injuries, such as concussions, Hence, all students have the right to know the risks 
of concussions because concussions, though a mild traumatic brain injury, present such a 
significant risk to not only the physical well-being of a developing student, but also the academic 
performance of the student. 
Mild traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, reportedly represent 80 to 90 
percent of all traumatic brain injuries, and children and adolescents are supposedly more 
vulnerable to brain injury than adults because their brains are still developing. 
Surveys in the United States suggest that the prevalence of sport-related concussions is 
much higher than reported and the occurrence of concussions is higher at the high school level 
than at the collegiate level. A recent study also estimated that more than 40 percent of high 
school athletes return to participate in school athletics before they have fully recovered from 
concussions, which increases the susceptibility of the student athlete to greater injury or death. 
The timely recognition and response to concussions aids recovery and helps prevent 
successive injury, chronic impairment, or death. Further, students should gradually return to 
physical activity and academic activities only as the symptoms of a concussion permit because 
research suggests that overexertion fi'om physical activity and academic activities exacerbates 
symptoms and protracts recovery time for student athletes. 
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The institution of best practices offers a reasonable means for protecting student athletes 
from the risks and consequences of concussions.! Hence, this bill seeks to promote minimum 
requirements for the prevention and treatment of concussions caused by participation in school 
sports.2 
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#' MIRIAM DEF~'1S0R S~TI'1'0 
1 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill~hl12-469. 
2 This bill was originally filed during the Fifteenth Congress, First ReguJar Session. 
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,>. 
, . 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
'13 
JUL -8 All :46 
SEN~~3 
S. No. __________ _ 
-----_._----
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
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TO PROMOTE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT 
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OF CONCUSSIONS CAUSED BY PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL SPORTS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Protecting Student Athletes 
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from Concussions Act." 
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SECTION 2 Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act: 
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(a) 
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"Concussion" means a type of traumatic brain injury that: 
(A) 
(B) 
is caused by a blow, jolt, or motion to the head or body that causes the 
brain to move rapidly in the skull; 
disrupts normal brain functioning and alters the mental state of the 
individual, causing the individual to experience-
(i) 
(ii) 
any period of observed or self-reported-
(I) 
transient 
confusion, 
disorientation, 
or 
impaired 
consciousness; 
(II) 
dysfunction of memory around the time of injury; and 
(III) 
loss of consciousness lasting less than 30 minutes; 
anyone of four types of symptoms of a headache, including: 
(I) 
(II) 
physical symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, or dizziness; 
cognitive symptoms, such as memory disturbance or 
slowed thinking; 
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(C) can occur-
(III) 
emotional symptoms, such as irritability or sadness; and 
(IV) 
difficulty sleeping; and 
(i) 
with or without the loss of consciousness; and 
(ii) 
during participation in any organized sport or recreational activity. 
(h) 
"Health care professional" means a physician, nurse, certified athletic trainer, 
physical therapist, neuropsychologist or other qualified individual who: 
(A) 
is a registered, licensed, certified, or recognized by the government to 
provide medical treatment; 
(B) 
is experienced in the diagnosis and management of traumatic hrain injury 
among a pediatric population; and 
(C) 
may be a volunteer. 
(c) 
"School-sponsored athletic activity" means: 
(A) 
any physical education class or program of a school; 
(B) 
any athletic activity authorized during the school day on school grounds 
that is not an instructional activity; and 
(C) 
any extracurricular sports team, club, or league organized by a school on 
or' off school grounds. 
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SECTION 3. Minimum Requirements. - Beginning with fiscal year 2013, in order to be 
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eligible to receive funds for such year or a subsequent fiscal year, each public educational agency 
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shall issue regulations establishing the following minimum requirements: 
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(a) 
Local Educational Agency Concussion Safety and Management Plan. - Each 
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public educational agency, in consultation with members of the community in which such 
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agency is located, shall develop and implement a standard plan for concussion safety and 
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management that includes: 
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(A) 
the education of students, parents, and school personnel about 
concussions, such as: 
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(B) 
(C) 
(i) 
(ii) 
the training and certification of school pt;rsonnel, including 
coaches, athletic trainers, and school nurses, on concussion safety 
and management; and 
using and maintaining standardized release forms, treatment plans, 
observation, monitoring and reporting forms, recordkeeping forms, 
and post-injury fact sheets; 
supports for students recovering from a concussion, such as: 
(i) 
guiding such student in resuming participation in athletic activity 
and academic activities with the help of a multi -disciplinary team, 
which may include: 
(1) 
(II) 
a health care professional, the parents of such student, a 
school nurse, or other relevant school personnel; and 
an individual who is assigned by a public school to oversee 
and manage the recovery of such student; 
(ii) 
providing appropriate academic accommodations; and 
(iii) 
referring students whose symptoms of concussion reemerge or 
persist upon the reintroduction of cognitive and physical demands 
for evaluation of the eligibility; and 
best practices designed to ensure, with respect to concussions, the 
uniformity of safety standards, treatment, and management, such as: 
(i) 
(ii) 
disseminating information on concussion management safety and 
management to the public; and 
applying uniform standards for concussion safety and management 
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to all students enrolled in public schools. 
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(b) Posting of lriformation on Concussions. - Each public elementary school and each 
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secondary school shall P.ost on school grounds, in a manner that is visible to students and school 
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personnel, and make publicly available on the school website, information on concussions that: 
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(A) 
shall include: 
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(i) 
the risks posed by sustaining a concussion; 
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(ii) 
the actions a student should take in response to sustaining a 
concussion, including the notification of school personnel; and 
(iii) 
the signs and symptoms of a concussion; and 
(B) 
may include: 
(i) 
the definition of a concussion; 
(ii) 
the means available to the student to reduce the incidence or 
recurrence of a concussion; and 
(iii) 
the effects of a concussion on academic learning and performance. 
(3) Response to Concussion. - If any school personnel, including coaches and athletic 
trainers, of a public school suspects that a student has sustained a concussion during a school-
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sponsored athletic activity: 
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in a 
(A) 
the student shall be: 
(i) 
immediately removed from participation in such activity; and 
(ii) 
prohibited from returning to participate in school-sponsored 
athletic activities: 
(I) 
on the day such student sustained a concussion; and 
(II) 
until such student submits a written release from a health 
care professional stating that the student is capable of 
resuming 
participation 
in 
school-sponsored 
athletic 
activities; and 
(B) 
such personnel shall report to the parent or guardian of such student-
(i) 
the date, time, and extent of the injury suffered by such student; 
and 
(ii) 
any actions taken to treat such student 
(d) Return to Athletics and Academics. - Before a student who has sustained a concussion 
school-sponsored athletic activity resumes participation in school-sponsored athletic 
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activities or academic activities, the school shall receive a written release from a health care 
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professional, that: 
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(A) 
(B) 
states that the student is capable of resummg participation in such 
activities; and 
may require the student to follow a plan designed to aid the student in 
reeovering and resmning participation in such activities in a manner that: 
(i) 
(ii) 
is coordinated, as appropriate, with periods of cognitive and 
physical rest while symptoms of a concussion persist; and 
reintroduces cognitive and physical demands on such student on a 
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progressive basis only as such increases in exertion do not cause 
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the reemergence or worsening of symptoms of a concussion. 
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SECTION 4. Report to Secretary of Education. -
Not later than 6 months after 
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promulgating regulations pursuant to section 3 in order to be eligible to receive funds, each 
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public educational agency shall submit to the Secretary of Education a report that contains a 
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description ofthe regulations promulgated pursuant to section 3. 
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SECTION 5. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall be declared 
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unconstitutional, any other provision not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect. 
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SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, or 
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parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 7. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication 
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in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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