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DeSoto County schools contract cardiac-screening vendor for student-athletes; screenings set for May 22 and June
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Bennett said the district contracted with Who We Play For to screen incoming ninth-grade athletes May 22 and to screen high school athletes during June physicals after a colleague cited a youth fatality in another county.
The DeSoto County School District has contracted with Who We Play For to provide cardiac screenings for students entering athletic programs, Superintendent Dr. Bennett told the board. The screenings for incoming ninth-grade athletes (current eighth graders) are scheduled for May 22; screenings for high school athletes will occur in June when students have athletic physicals.
Dr. Bennett described the vendor arrangement as a preventative health measure and cited a prior fatality in Gulf County as rationale: "They had a young man die in Gulf County because of [a] cardiac event... they found his sister had the exact same congenital heart defect, and she very well could have passed away. So, this is an opportunity to make sure [a] young person gets a little full life," he said.
The screening program was described as an operational contract the district approved; the board did not debate or amend the contract during the April 14 meeting.
At the meeting the board also approved a series of routine items by voice vote, recorded as unanimous in the transcript: adoption of the superintendent's agenda (motion by Mrs. Chancey, second by Dr. Goodman), approval of the March 24, 2026 minutes (motion by Mrs. Chancey, second by Dr. Mott) and approval of financial reports (motion by Dr. Goodman, second by Mrs. Chancey). Exact vote tallies were not specified in the meeting record.
