The Flagler County School Board voted 3-2 this week to mandate at least one electrocardiogram screening for student-athletes throughout their high school career.
The new rule will go into effect next school year.
The test commonly known as an EKG or ECG is painless, and takes only a few minutes, but can detect heart conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
This school year the screenings are optional.
Starting June, the tests will be included in free annual physicals that AdventHealth provides to student-athletes.
What’s an electrocardiogram, and how can it save lives?
During an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), a health care provider places sticky patches called electrodes to a person’s chest and stomach area.
The person is then hooked up to a machine that measures the heart’s electrical signals.
The test can detect irregular heart rhythms, leading to lifesaving treatment.
If left untreated, these irregular heartbeats can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, in which a person’s heart stops beating, blocking the flow of blood to the brain and other organs.
Unless a person is resuscitated using CPR or defibrillator, death can occur in minutes.
What’s mandated in Florida regarding student heart health?
Coaches in K-12 must complete CPR training every two years in Florida.
Under a new law that took effect in July, they also are required to have training in first aid and the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED).
But when it comes to EKGs and ECGs, there is no statewide mandate, which means it’s up to each school district to decide.
In Central Florida, screenings are already mandated in Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Volusia county schools, while Brevard has an opt-out option for parents.
Although they weren’t previously required in Flagler, the free heart screenings were offered as part of annual physicals for athletes.
How can families in Flagler get the screenings and how common is sudden cardiac arrest in kids?
AdventHealth will partner with Who We Play For to provide free heart screenings during annual sports physicals.
AdventHealth for Children will also provide the screenings at eight locations for $15, and Who We Play For will provide screenings year-round for $20.
Although a pricier option, athletes can also go to their personal physician or cardiologist to get a screening or AdventHealth CentraCare.
According to nonprofit Parent Heart Watch, 1 in 300 student-athletes have undiagnosed heart conditions, and sudden cardiac arrest is the primary killer of student-athletes.
Already this year in Florida, 18-year-old Chance Gainer, a wide receiver and defensive back at Port St. Joe High School, died from sudden cardiac arrest during one of the first football games of the season.
How do Flagler families feel about the screenings?
A handful of parents spoke at the meeting Wednesday night, all in favor of mandating the screenings.
April Adams, a teacher in the district, said an EKG saved the life of her son, Hayden, who plays soccer. In May 2023, they signed up in Flagler for a free physical , which came with an EKG.
A few weeks after the EKG, they got the call that it had come back irregular. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
He received a heart ablation and has continued to play soccer, but with safety rails in place.
“I’m glad we had the opportunity to discover and fix the issue before it had a chance to affect him on the field,” Adams said. “Four athletes have died just in this past month across the United States due to undiagnosed heart issues, including one right here in Florida. I don’t understand why we wouldn’t put safeguards in place.”
Watch the school board meeting where the screenings were discussed:
Lori Bosset traveled from Volusia County to support the measure.
Her daughter, Julia, a cheerleader, experienced a sudden cardiac arrest in 2020 and almost died after the family opted out of what was an optional EKG at the time in the district.
She said her daughter was saved by a resource officer who performed CPR for seven minutes. She will require a pacemaker and defibrillator the rest of her life.
She said when districts mandate procedures, parents pay attention and they follow through. No requirement, no compliance.
“We're the kind of parents who follow the rules. If they suggested an EKG, we would have done it, but we didn't know anything about heart problems until this happened to us. My daughter is a unicorn. She is lucky. She survived," said Bosset.
Flagler school board Vice Chair Christy Chong spoke out against the mandate saying she had received emails from constituents concerned about the cost of the procedure to families.
“What happens if there needs to be a referral to a cardiologist and making sure they can get an appointment? And if it's something that's months out. Also, I know we talked about this, but if they miss the free EKG, wouldn't they have to go and pay for one?” Chong asked.
Chong also said she was concerned there weren’t many options for pediatric cardiologists if follow-up care was needed after an irregular result.
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