New law July 1

A bill named for a Lexington Middle School football player who died after an on-field injury last fall was signed into law last week by Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The Riley Boatwright Act takes the first step on a path to ensuring emergency medical services are available at all athletic events or activities on school grounds.

Until now, those services were on site at high school games, but not competitions in the lower grades.

The new law authored by Republican legislators District 15 Sen. Rob Standridge and District 42 Rep. Cynthia Roe requires school districts to work with their local EMS provider and draft a plan for emergency medical services for all events on school grounds.

Those plans must be developed before the start of the 2020-21 school year in August.

The law, which goes into effect July 1, further requires the plan be updated annually.

It stops short, however, of requiring that districts act on the plan.

Boatwright, 13, was an eighth grade student at Lexington. He collapsed after sustaining a head injury during a junior high football game against Stratford on September 24.

There was a delay in treatment while an ambulance was summoned.

The teen later died at the hospital.