FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – The Flagler County School Board is scheduled to take up a proposal on whether to require ECG screenings for student athletes at its agenda workshop meeting on Tuesday.
According to a presentation from the district’s school safety specialist, intense athletic activity can trigger sudden cardiac death and athletes often have no symptoms or injury prior.
Shawn Sima, impact director for Who We Play For, said out of 300 students who are screened, six to nine will be flagged and one of them will have a deadly heart condition.
“The simple fact of the matter is that the stethoscope, history and physical, which is the standard right now, misses most things that are going to kill our kids,” Sima said.
Sima’s daughter, Lexi, survived sudden cardiac arrest at 16 years old.
“That night, through her cardiologist and ER team over in Orlando, did I only find out just how common and serious of a condition that sudden cardiac arrest is,” Sima said.
Who We Play For is a local organization that started after Rafe Maccarone died of sudden cardiac arrest during soccer practice.
His father, Ralph, helped start Who We Play For and now raises awareness surrounding the importance of ECG screenings to detect heart conditions in students.
“In our son’s case, a simple ECG would have detected the issue that he had,” Maccarone said, “It’s caught 95% of the time on a simple ECG, but we had no reason or any awareness that sudden cardiac arrest could affect a 15-year-old student.”
Flagler County schools will decide from four options to integrate ECG screenings.
The first option would require students to get the screening every year before participating in high school sports.
Option 2 would require students to get the screening in 9th and 11th grades.
The third option would only require students to get the screening one time during their four years of school.
The fourth option would offer one opportunity a year from Flagler Schools for student athletes to get their physicals, including an optional ECG screening.
All four options include a parental opt-out.
“Being able to offer this is a life-saving thing for students,” Maccarone said. “You know, again, other countries it’s required for all students and, you know, hopefully at some point, the United States will make that to elevate the standard level of care for our students and student athletes.”
Tuesday’s agenda workshop meeting begins at 3 p.m.
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