Interscholastic athletics: California Interscholastic Federation: sports-related injuries.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Tom Lackey

AB 437 requires CIF to report sports-related head injuries and other injuries needing medical clearance, from games, practices, and camps, to California Legislature and Governor.

Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Choi.

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Purpose / Intent

AB 437 directs the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to include sports‑related injuries — specifically sports‑related head injuries (including concussions) and other sports‑related injuries and medical problems that require medical clearance to resume full athletic participation — as part of the health and safety information the CIF must report to the Legislature and Governor. The addition clarifies that reportable incidents include injuries sustained during competitions, practices, and training camps.

Key provisions

Amends Education Code § 33353(b)(1)(E) to add to the list of topics the CIF must evaluate and report on:

Sports‑related head injuries (including concussions), and
Other sports‑related injuries and medical problems that require medical clearance for full athletic participation, including injuries occurring at competitions, practices, and training camps.

Retains existing CIF reporting framework: CIF must report to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature and the Governor on or before January 1, 2023, and every seven years thereafter (and follow public comment/hearing expectations between reporting years).

Continues other statutory provisions governing CIF duties on governance, public comment, records, discrimination reporting, and outreach.

Who is affected

California Interscholastic Federation — primary entity required to include the new injury categories in its mandated reports and related evaluations.

Local educational agencies (LEAs) and member schools — likely sources of the injury data CIF will compile for reporting.

Student athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators — these categories are covered by the expanded health and safety reporting.

Legislature, Governor, and public stakeholders — will receive broader CIF reporting on injury incidence and medical‑clearance practices.

Expected impact and considerations

Data collection/administrative: CIF and member LEAs/schools may need to standardize collection and aggregation of injury and medical‑clearance information to meet reporting obligations.

Privacy: Existing statutory language governing other CIF/education reporting (in §33353 and related subdivisions) requires aggregated reporting and confidentiality protections for pupil information; those protections continue to apply to CIF reporting obligations.

No appropriation or stated fiscal committee referral on the bill; fiscal impacts, if any, would depend on how CIF and LEAs implement new data collection.

Legislative status / timeline

Introduced: February 6, 2025.

Assembly: Passed third reading March 28, 2025 (Ayes 62, Noes 0). Various committee amendments in March.

Senate: Referred to committees; passed out of Senate Education (June 18), placed on Consent Calendar (June 19), ordered to third reading (June 27).

Final action: Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Choi on June 30, 2025 (current status).

If revived or amended, the operative text would continue to be section 33353 of the Education Code; implementation details (forms, timelines for data submission from schools, exact aggregation formats) would likely be clarified through CIF guidance or follow‑on regulatory or administrative processes.

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