DE HCR4

Recognizes the importance of improving health and safety for youth athletes in Delaware, highlighting that 90% of high school student athletes in the United States experience sports-related injuries and over 300 sports-related deaths occurred between 2008 and 2015.

Notes that during the 2016-2017 academic year, 30,034 Delaware students participated in interscholastic athletics, with female participation at 46% exceeding the national average of 42.2%.

Endorses the Athletes Bill of Rights created by the Youth Sports Safety Alliance, establishing 10 rights for student athletes including proper coaching and medical supervision, safe facilities and equipment, concussion management plans, and emergency action procedures.

Affirms that student athletes have the right to immediate on-site injury assessments by qualified sports medicine professionals and to a culture that discourages "playing through pain" without medical evaluation.

Emphasizes that parents and athletes have the right to information about the benefits and risks of competitive sports participation, including statistics on fatalities and catastrophic injuries among youth athletes.