(a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the 1998 California High School Coaching Education and Training Program.

(b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

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(1) The exploding demand in girls athletics, and an increase in the number of pupils participating in both boys and girls athletics, are causing an increase in the number of coaches needed statewide.

(2) Well-trained coaches are vital to the success of the experience of a pupil in sports and interscholastic athletic activities.

(3) Improvement in coaching is a primary need identified by hundreds of principals, superintendents, and school board members who participated in the development of a strategic plan for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) in 1993 and 1994.

(4) There are many concerns about safety, training, organization, philosophy, communications, and general management in coaching that need to be addressed.

(5) It is a conservative estimate that at least 25,000 coaches annually need training and an orientation just to meet current coaching regulations contained in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, including basic safety and CPR requirements.

(6) School districts, in conjunction with the California Interscholastic Federation, have taken the initial first steps toward building a statewide coaching education program by assembling a faculty of statewide trainers composed of school district administrators, coaches, and athletic directors using a national program being used in several states.

(c) It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to establish a California High School Coaching Education and Training Program. It is the intent of the Legislature that the program be administered by school districts, be updated and rehearsed annually, and emphasize the following components:

(1) Development of coaching philosophies consistent with school, school district, and governing board of a school district goals.

(2) Sport psychology: emphasizing communication, reinforcement of the efforts of pupils, effective delivery of coaching regarding technique, and motivation of the pupil athlete.

(3) Sport pedagogy: how pupil athletes learn, and how to teach sport skills.

(4) Sport physiology: principles of training, fitness for sport, development of a training program, nutrition for athletes, and the harmful effects associated with the use of steroids and performance-enhancing dietary supplements by adolescents.

(5) Sport management: team management, risk management, and working within the context of an entire school program.

(6) Training: certification in CPR, use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and first aid that includes, but is not limited to, training in recognizing the signs and symptoms of, and responding to, concussions, heat illness, and, by July 1, 2024, cardiac arrest. Certification in CPR and use of an AED shall be consistent with national evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines. Concussion, heat illness, and cardiac arrest training may be provided by entities offering free, online, or other types of training courses. For purposes of this section, “heat illness” includes heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and exertional heat stroke.

(7) Knowledge of, and adherence to, statewide rules and regulations, as well as school regulations, including, but not necessarily limited to, eligibility, gender equity, and discrimination.

(8) Sound planning and goal setting.

(d) This section does not endorse a particular coaching education or training program.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 422, Sec. 1. (AB 245) Effective January 1, 2024.)