Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act

The Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act is a new law as of July 1, 2022. This law requires schools, students, and parents/guardians to have information on sudden cardiac arrest risks, signs, and symptoms.

The Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act, Chapter 500 of the Laws of 2021, and Commissioner’s regulation §136.9 are effective July 1, 2022. The Act was written to ensure that schools, students, and parents are provided with critical, lifesaving information on sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) risks, signs and symptoms, to ensure students at risk are evaluated prior to participation in athletics, and that SCA is immediately recognized and treated to prevent death. The Act requires:

The Commissioner of Health to develop information, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Education, relating to pupils exhibiting signs or symptoms of pending or increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest and directs the Commissioner of Education to post the information on the Department’s website;

All schools must include such information in any permission form, consent form, or similar document that may be required for a student’s participation in interscholastic athletics or reference how to obtain such information from the Department and Department of Health’s websites, or on the school’s website, if one exists;

Any student displaying signs or symptoms of pending or increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest shall be immediately removed from athletic activities, and shall not resume athletic activity until he or she has been evaluated by and received written and signed authorization from a licensed physician; and retain the authorization on file in the student’s permanent health record.

To meet these requirements the NYS Ed. Department has developed the given memo to schools in collaboration with the Department of Health to provide the required information on sudden cardiac arrest. 

Additionally the Interval Health History for Athletics Form has been revised to elicit questions on cardiac health and history, along with a parent/guardian memo to explain the law and the importance of the health history form.   

All of these are also available on the NYSED Health Services webpage .

For questions please contact the Office of Student Support Services, studentsupportservices@nysed.gov or 518-486-6090.