Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Gulf County School Board hears survivor plea for student heart screenings; approves MOA, copier bids and consent items
Summary
At its May 6 meeting, the Gulf County School Board heard a survivor’s account urging heart screenings for student athletes and discussed pending state legislation; the board approved a memorandum of agreement for mental-health services, district copier maintenance bids and routine consent items and scheduled a May 27 special meeting.
Gulf County School Board members on May 6 heard a presentation from Chai Baker, a Malone High School graduate representing the nonprofit Who We Play For, about his 2014 cardiac arrest and the organization’s effort to expand heart screenings for student athletes.
The presentation, given during a special-presentation portion of the board meeting, came as Board member Gaynor — who lost her son, Chance, last season during a football game — and other members described recent momentum in the Legislature around a bill referred to in the meeting as the "Second Chance" act that would include screenings. "It's my job to ... continue to help push, these heart screenings for student athletes," Baker said.
Why it matters: advocates and several board members said broader screening could identify conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — the diagnosis Baker described receiving after his 2014 arrest — and possibly prevent sudden cardiac events in student athletes. Board members and staff discussed opportunities for the district to work with Who…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
