By Tony McVeigh
Frankfort, KY – High school coaches in Kentucky will have to take mandatory health safety courses under legislation winning final approval in the 2009 General Assembly. Representative Joni Jenkins says the courses will cover proper responses to heat stroke and other medical emergencies.
"The panel that is going to be doing the ongoing study of this may later down the road refine that for us. But we felt there needed to be something in place before teams hit the practice fields this summer."
The bill now goes to Governor Beshear for his signature. Last August, 15-year-old Max Gilpin collapsed on a Louisville high school football practice field and died three days later. His coach, Jason Stinson, is awaiting trial on reckless homicide charges in the heat-related death. It's the first case of its kind in the nation.