I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7590 
To promote minimum State requirements for the prevention and treatment 
of concussions caused by participation in school sports, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 17, 2026 
Mr. DESAULNIER (for himself and Mr. STAUBER) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To promote minimum State requirements for the prevention 
and treatment of concussions caused by participation 
in school sports, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Student 
Athletes from Concussions Act’’. 
SEC. 2. MINIMUM STATE REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—Each State that re-
ceives funds under the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and does not 
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meet the requirements described in this section, as of the 
date of enactment of this Act, shall, not later than the 
last day of the fifth full fiscal year after the date of enact-
ment of this Act (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘compli-
ance deadline’’), enact legislation or issue regulations es-
tablishing the following minimum requirements: 
(1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY CONCUSSION 
SAFETY AND MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Each local edu-
cational agency in the State, in consultation with 
members of the community in which such agency is 
located, shall develop and implement a standard plan 
for concussion safety and management that— 
(A) educates students, parents, and school 
personnel about concussions, through activities 
such as— 
(i) training school personnel, including 
coaches, teachers, athletic trainers, related 
services personnel, and school nurses, on 
concussion safety and management, includ-
ing training on the prevention, recognition, 
and academic consequences of concussions 
and response to concussions; and 
(ii) using, maintaining, and dissemi-
nating to students and parents— 
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(II) an individual who is assigned 
by a public school to oversee and 
manage the recovery of such student; 
(ii) providing appropriate academic 
accommodations aimed at progressively re-
introducing cognitive demands on the stu-
dent; and 
(iii) if the student’s symptoms of con-
cussion persist for a substantial period of 
time— 
(I) evaluating the student in ac-
cordance with section 614 of the Indi-
viduals with Disabilities Education 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1414) to determine 
whether the student is eligible for 
services under part B of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1411 et seq.); or 
(II) evaluating whether the stu-
dent is eligible for services under sec-
tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 
1973 (29 U.S.C. 794); and 
(C) encourages the use of best practices 
designed to ensure, with respect to concussions, 
the uniformity of safety standards, treatment, 
and management, such as— 
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(i) disseminating information on con-
cussion safety and management to the 
public; and 
(ii) applying uniform best practice 
standards for concussion safety and man-
agement to all students enrolled in public 
schools. 
(2) POSTING
OF
INFORMATION
ON
CONCUS-
SIONS.—Each public elementary school and each 
public secondary school shall post on school grounds, 
in a manner that is visible to students and school 
personnel, and make publicly available on the school 
website, information on concussions that— 
(A) is based on peer-reviewed scientific evi-
dence (such as information made available by 
the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion); 
(B) shall include information on— 
(i) the risks posed by sustaining a 
concussion; 
(ii) the actions a student should take 
in response to sustaining a concussion, in-
cluding the notification of school personnel; 
and 
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(iii) the signs and symptoms of a con-
cussion; and 
(C) may include information on— 
(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 an indi-
vidual designated from among school personnel for 
purposes of this Act, one of whom must be in at-
tendance at every school-sponsored activity, suspects 
that a student has sustained a concussion (regard-
less of whether or not the concussion occurred dur-
ing school-sponsored activities, during school hours, 
on school property, or during an athletic activity)— 
(A) the student shall be— 
(i) immediately removed from partici-
pation in a school-sponsored athletic activ-
ity; and 
(ii) prohibited from resuming partici-
pation in school-sponsored athletic activi-
ties— 
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(I) on the day the student sus-
tained the concussion; and 
(II) until the day the student is 
capable of resuming such participa-
tion, according to the student’s writ-
ten release, as described in paragraph 
(4); and 
(B) the designated individual shall report 
to the parent or guardian of such student— 
(i) any information that the des-
ignated school employee is aware of re-
garding the date, time, and type of the in-
jury suffered by such student (regardless 
of where, when, or how a concussion may 
have occurred); and 
(ii) any actions taken to treat such 
student. 
(4) RETURN TO ATHLETICS.—If a student has 
sustained a concussion (regardless of whether or not 
the concussion occurred during school-sponsored ac-
tivities, during school hours, on school property, or 
during an athletic activity), before such student re-
sumes participation in school-sponsored athletic ac-
tivities, the school shall receive a written release 
from a health care professional, that— 
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(A) states that the student is capable of 
resuming participation in such activities; and 
(B) may require the student to follow a 
plan designed to aid the student in recovering 
and resuming participation in such activities in 
a manner that— 
(i) is coordinated, as appropriate, with 
periods of cognitive and physical rest while 
symptoms of a concussion persist; and 
(ii) reintroduces cognitive and phys-
ical demands on such student on a pro-
gressive basis only as such increases in ex-
ertion do not cause the reemergence or 
worsening of symptoms of a concussion. 
(5) RETURN TO ACADEMICS.—If a student en-
rolled in a public school in the State has sustained 
a concussion, the concussion management team (as 
described under paragraph (1)(B)(i)) of the school 
shall consult with and make recommendations to rel-
evant school personnel and the student to ensure 
that the student is receiving the appropriate aca-
demic supports, including— 
(A) providing for periods of cognitive rest 
over the course of the school day; 
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(B) providing modified academic assign-
ments; 
(C) allowing for gradual reintroduction to 
cognitive demands; and 
(D) other appropriate academic accom-
modations or adjustments. 
(b) NONCOMPLIANCE.— 
(1) FIRST YEAR.—If a State described in sub-
section (a) fails to comply with subsection (a) by the 
compliance deadline, the Secretary of Education 
shall reduce by 5 percent the amount of funds the 
State receives under the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) for 
the first fiscal year following the compliance dead-
line. 
(2) SUCCEEDING YEARS.—If the State fails to 
so comply by the last day of any fiscal year following 
the compliance deadline, the Secretary of Education 
shall reduce by 10 percent the amount of funds the 
State receives under that Act for the following fiscal 
year. 
(3) NOTIFICATION OF NONCOMPLIANCE.—Prior 
to reducing any funds that a State receives under 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) in accordance with 
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this subsection, the Secretary of Education shall 
provide a written notification of the intended reduc-
tion of funds to the State and to the appropriate 
committees of Congress. 
SEC. 3. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect civil 
or criminal liability under Federal or State law. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
CONCUSSION.—The 
term 
‘‘concussion’’ 
means a type of mild traumatic brain injury that— 
(A) is caused by a blow, jolt, or motion to 
the head or body that causes the brain to move 
rapidly in the skull; 
(B) disrupts normal brain functioning and 
alters the mental state of the individual, caus-
ing the individual to experience— 
(i) any period of observed or self-re-
ported— 
(I) 
transient 
confusion, 
dis-
orientation, or impaired consciousness; 
(II) 
dysfunction 
of 
memory 
around the time of injury; or 
(III) loss of consciousness lasting 
less than 30 minutes; or 
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(ii) any 1 of 4 types of symptoms, in-
cluding— 
(I) physical symptoms, such as 
headache, fatigue, or dizziness; 
(II) cognitive symptoms, such as 
memory disturbance or slowed think-
ing; 
(III) emotional symptoms, such 
as irritability or sadness; or 
(IV) difficulty sleeping; and 
(C) can occur— 
(i) with or without the loss of con-
sciousness; and 
(ii) during participation in any orga-
nized sport or recreational activity. 
(2) HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.—The term 
‘‘health care professional’’ means an individual— 
(A) who has been trained in diagnosis and 
management of concussion in a pediatric popu-
lation; 
(B) who is registered, licensed, certified, or 
otherwise statutorily recognized by the State to 
provide such diagnosis and management; and 
(C) whose scope of practice and experience 
includes the diagnosis and management of trau-
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matic brain injury among a pediatric popu-
lation. 
(3) LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY; STATE.— 
The terms ‘‘local educational agency’’ and ‘‘State’’ 
have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(4) RELATED
SERVICES
PERSONNEL.—The 
term ‘‘related services personnel’’ means individuals 
who provide related services, as defined under sec-
tion 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Edu-
cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1401). 
(5) SCHOOL-SPONSORED ATHLETIC ACTIVITY.— 
The 
term 
‘‘school-sponsored 
athletic 
activity’’ 
means— 
(A) any physical education class or pro-
gram of a school; 
(B) any athletic activity authorized during 
the school day on school grounds that is not an 
instructional activity; 
(C) any extra-curricular sports team, club, 
or league organized by a school on or off school 
grounds; and 
(D) any recess activity. 
Æ 
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