ORLANDO, Fla. – As students prepare to return to school, families with first-time high school athletes have a new requirement to complete before practices, tryouts, or games begin.
A new Florida law, known as the Second Chance Act (also called SB 1070 or Florida Statute 1006.20), now requires any student participating in a Florida High School Athletic Association sport for the first time to receive a heart screening before they can compete, regardless of grade level.
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Before their first sports tryout, conditioning, workout, practice, or other athletic activity of the 2026-27 school year (including during summer break), they must get a heart screening using an ECG and receive results showing they are cleared for sports.
To help families meet the requirement, the nonprofit Who We Play For (WWPF) provides free and low-cost heart screenings, including a recent community event at the Sawgrass Plantation Clubhouse, where parents brought their children to be tested before the school year begins.
“We heard about it, and that’s why we are here,” said Ana Morell.
Morell brought her three sons to the screening because they participate in swimming and water polo at their high school.
“It’s really important that they get this kind of testing every year, because we have to be sure that they are great for this sport,” Morell said.
Kathy Karbowski also attended the event with her daughter and nephew, both of whom hope to play high school sports.
“They are both looking to play sports in high school. And I know there’s that new requirement that they all need to have them, which I think is a great idea to keep them safe. So that’s why we’re here today,” Karbowski said.
The Second Chance Act took effect on July 1. The law honors Chance Gainer, a high school football player who collapsed during a game in 2024 because of an undetected heart condition.
Under the law, students playing an FHSAA sport for the first time must complete a heart screening before participating in practices, tryouts or games.
“It’s something that if it was optional, I would still do it. I have a daughter going to middle school, and we’ll be getting one for her as well,” Karbowski said.
WWPF provides free and low-cost heart screenings for student-athletes across the country with the goal of preventing Sudden Cardiac Arrest, or SCA. WWPF says that SCA is the number one cause of death in student-athletes and the number one medical cause of death on school campuses.
Evan Ernst co-founded the nonprofit in memory of his high school friend, Rafe Maccarone, who collapsed on the soccer field in 2007.
“It’s the most painful thing you could ever experience, especially when you find out that tragedies like that can easily be prevented,” Ernst told News 6 in 2017.
According to the organization, it has screened more than 500 athletic programs, conducted 250,000 heart screenings and helped save more than 200 lives.
“We’ve identified kids with life-threatening heart conditions that need immediate medical intervention,” Ernst said.
A WWPF volunteer summed up the organization’s mission, saying, “This is why we do it. To make sure that no kids die on the field.”
WWPF has another Central Florida heart screening event scheduled for Saturday, August 8, at the Parrish Healthcare Center in Brevard County. They host events throughout the year.
Here’s a link to the organization’s heart screening calendar.