FHSAA May Require Girl Student-Athletes to Report Menstrual Cycles

The State of Florida is weighing a decision that would force teenage girls who play high school sports to report their menstrual cycles to their respective schools.

Governor Ron DeSantis’ education commissioner sits on the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) board, which will be making the decision.

Of the 16 FHSAA board members, two are women while the state’s education commissioner has a set and appoints three more.

A recent story from Local10.com detailed the events in the Sunshine State. Below is an excerpt from the Local10.com story.

Dr. Tommy Schechtman is a pediatrician and past president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy Of Pediatrics

“Keeping into the context of medicine, you have to say, why do we need to be doing this?” he said.

Schechtman is talking about a proposed change to Florida’s PPE, or pre-participation physical evaluation form, that a Palm Beach Post investigation uncovered would mandate high school girls statewide answer medical questions about their menstrual cycles

Currently, answering them is optional.

The proposed change would force teenage student-athletes to share their private medical information with their schools.

“None of this, in my view, is important for the athletic department, for the coach, or the school, principal, or the state organization to have this information,” said Schechtman.

A physical examination for student-athletes is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“We do need to make sure our student-athletes are in good shape so clearly they need to have this pre-participation evaluation,” said Schechtman.

The national form states, in bold letters, “This form should be placed into the athlete’s medical file and should not be shared with schools or sports organizations.”

“It is important to be able to speak to your physician who is providing the medical clearance,” said Schechtman. “Certainly menstrual cycles can reflect other issues going on, but clearly that is something to be discussed between the patient, parent, and the physician.”

To read the full story from Local10.com about the FHSAA possibly mandating female student-athletes to report their menstrual cycles, click here.