Lindsay's Law

Please read the following information from the Ohio Department of Health regarding Lindsay's Law which addresses Sudden Cardiac Arrest in youth athletes.  The law went into effect on August 1, 2017.  We are still gathering information on how this should be implemented by our member organizations for their coaches, athletes, and parents and will provide further guidance to everyone as we receive it from the Ohio Department of Health.  In the meantime, we suggest that each of our member organizations becomes familiar with Lindsay's Law and determines how best to implement compliance with the law for their own organization.

Lindsay’s Law

Ohio Revised Code 3313.5310, 3707.58 and 3707.59 went into effect on August 1, 2017.

In accordance with this law, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and other stakeholders jointly developed guidelines and other relevant materials to inform and educate students and youth athletes participating in or desiring to participate in an athletic activity, their parents, and their coaches about the nature and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest.

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

A Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, cutting off blood flow to the brain and other vital organs.  Sudden cardiac arrest is fatal if not treated immediately, most often by a defibrillator.

Who is Lindsay?

Senate Bill 252 is named for national heart health advocate and former Miss Ohio Lindsay Davis who suffers from a heart condition and has since dedicated her career to raising awareness of this potentially fatal condition. "Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student athletes," said Davis. "At any moment I could have died because coaches and teachers had no idea this was even a possibility for someone who looked as healthy as I did at that age."

The following resources were developed to implement Lindsay’s Law:

For parents/guardians and youth athletes:

• Required video
• Required SCA Informational Handout
• Required Signature Form

For coaches:

If you are a coach for an interscholastic sport and are licensed by the Ohio Department of Education, please visit their website for information about their training requirements around Lindsay’s Law.

If you are a coach in a community program, please use the following resources:

• Required video
• Required SCA Informational Handout