No, Georgia's cardiac arrest awareness form for student athletes is not tied to COVID vaccines

ATLANTA — Parents of Georgia student-athletes are asked to fill out a form saying they know the risks of sudden cardiac arrest. Some parents are alleging the form is part of a new phenomenon relating to COVID-19 vaccines -- but this may not be the case.

Social media posts suggest guardians of middle and high school students are being asked to sign the Georgia High School Association Student/Parent Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Form because of the adverse effects of the coronavirus vaccine.

11Alive wanted to verify these claims.

THE QUESTION

Is the cardiac arrest awareness form new to students because of the COVID-19 vaccine?

THE SOURCES

Georgia High School Association (GHSA)

Georgia SB 60 from 2019

GHSA Cardiac Arrest Awareness Form

THE ANSWER

No, the form is not new nor tied to the coronavirus vaccine.

WHAT WE FOUND

A copy of the form from the GHSA lays out the early warning signs, how people can recognize sudden cardiac arrest and what to do if a child is experiencing this.

It ultimately asks for a parent to sign the form to say they understand the risks of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

Steve Figueroa with the GHSA said the form has been used since the 2019-2020 school year because of 2019's SB60, known as The Jeremy Nelson and Nick Blakely Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act.

Jeremy Nelson was a Buford Middle School Student who collapsed on the basketball court in 2013. Nick Blakely was a former Archer High School football player who died after practice at Stetson University.

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"Nick dying was not in vain," Michelle Wilson, Blakely's mother said in 2019 after the bill was signed into law. "If a coach sees any signs (of cardiac distress), that student has to leave the field and not come back until they have been cleared from a physician."

She started The Nick Blakely Foundation, which offers free heart screenings for students and raises money for AEDS for Gwinnett County parks.

For several months, people have spread the false theory that the COVID-19 vaccines are behind a wave of young athletes experiencing cardiac issues.

Cardiologists report they have not seen a dramatic increase in heart issues tied to the vaccines and have not observed outcomes alleged in the social media posts.

So no, the GHSA cardiac arrest form is not new -- it's been around since 2019. It's also not a result of adverse effects found in students who receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The form came to be following the death of two metro Atlanta student-athletes.