Gulf County School Board hears survivor plea for student heart screenings; approves MOA, copier bids and consent items

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 We Play For and other partners if statewide policy or funding allows.

Baker told the board he was resuscitated with an automated external defibrillator (AED) after his heart stopped for about two minutes in 2014 and later learned he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He said he has worked with Who We Play For to promote screenings and that personal losses — including a friend who died in 2016 — have driven his advocacy. "I thought that that was the decision that I wanted to go home and meet Evan and push Who We Play For and the heart screening and get to know more about the program," Baker said.

Board member Gaynor, who spoke from the dais and during public remarks, thanked Baker and other advocates and said the effort is already moving in Tallahassee: "Everything passed with 0 nays. And now we're just waiting on the governor to sign it," she said of the bill discussed at the meeting. The board did not take a formal vote on any screening policy during the meeting.

Formal actions and routine business: the board approved several agenda items and consent items during the meeting. Votes included adoption of the agenda as amended; approval of consent matters (including budget and personnel items noted in the agenda packet); approval of program matters including a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Amber Wellness LLC for mental-health services (agenda pages 9–9.03); and award of district-wide copier maintenance bids for 2025–26 (agenda page 10). Each motion passed on voice vote with the board recording unanimous approval during the meeting.

The board also announced a special board meeting and budget workshop set for Tuesday, May 27, with a 7:45 a.m. workshop and an 8:00 a.m. board meeting; the strategic plan packet originally expected for this meeting was moved to the May 27 packet.

What board members said: Superintendent remarks and several board members tied the presentation to community concerns about student safety and legislative action. Emmanuel Brown, introduced by meeting speakers as a retired longtime high school coach visiting the district, and others expressed support for working with Baker and Who We Play For to arrange local screenings.

Next steps: the presentation produced no formal district policy change at the May 6 meeting; board members encouraged follow-up with Baker and the organization to coordinate local screenings and to watch state action on the legislation referenced by board members. The board’s approvals of routine and program items were recorded in the meeting’s consent and action items.

Votes at a glance - Agenda adoption (as amended): passed (voice vote; unanimous). - Consent matters (budget matters, personnel pages 5.05–5.06, etc.): passed (voice vote; unanimous). - Program matters — MOA with Amber Wellness LLC for mental-health services (pages 9–9.03): passed (voice vote; unanimous). - Bid matters — 2025–26 district-wide copier maintenance (page 10): passed (voice vote; unanimous).

Ending: Board members closed the meeting with additional remarks of thanks to presenters and district staff and reiterated the May 27 special meeting date for budget and strategic-plan packet review.