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Parent urges board to reject Novant Health sports-medicine consent form, citing parental-rights and privacy concerns
Summary
Jason Johnson, a parent who spoke during public comment, urged the board to reject or revise a Novant Health student-athlete consent form he called overly broad and a transfer of parental medical authority; he raised privacy concerns tied to a recent Novant settlement.
Jason Johnson, a parent who spoke during the public-comment portion, urged the Surry County Board of Education to reject or revise a Novant Health sports-medicine student consent form, saying it forces parents to “trade away medical decision making authority simply to keep that door open.”
Johnson told the board the form is “deliberately broad,” covering “any condition arising while participating while participating in interscholastic sports,” and that it authorizes athletic trainers to “administer medications, such as albuterol and epipen,” without clear limits. He said the language communicates “sign or your child does not play,” and warned that families with limited resources may feel pressured to sign away rights to keep athletic opportunities open.
Johnson also raised privacy concerns about Novant Health, saying the organization recently settled a class-action privacy case and warning that the form appears to grant broad information‑sharing authority over student athletes. He asked the board to reject or send the form back for revisions and promised to follow up with a written submission to the board.
The board did not act publicly on Johnson’s request during his three‑minute comment; no Novant representative responded in the meeting. The superintendent and staff did not announce any immediate changes to the consent form on the record.
