SARASOTA, Fla. — A new Florida law will soon require many high school student-athletes to get a heart screening before they can play, and Sarasota County Schools is already getting a head start.
Monday night, about 60 students were expected at Booker High School for one of the district’s first heart screening events. Sarasota County Schools partnered with Who We Play For, a nonprofit that provides low-cost screenings designed to catch hidden heart conditions before they turn deadly.
The new law requires a one-time electrocardiogram, or EKG, for all incoming ninth-grade student-athletes and any student in grades 10 through 12 who has never participated in a Florida High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sport.
For Lakesha Harrison of Citrus County, the screenings are deeply personal. Her son, Antonio Hicks, was a multi-sport athlete at Citrus High School. In 2021, he collapsed during a workout without warning and died from sudden cardiac arrest.
“He was a nurturer. He was caring. He would be the type could walk into a room and just get anybody smiling and anybody laughing,” said Harrison. “They say time heals. I mean, there’s not a day that goes by that I don't think about him.”
Now, Harrison is speaking out to raise awareness and encourage other families to get their children screened.
“A lot of heart conditions are quiet. You don’t know,” Harrison said.
Who We Play For says about 3% of students they screen are flagged with an abnormal EKG, often without knowing they had an underlying issue.
“In most cases, when a student has an episode of sudden cardiac arrest, the very first symptom is when they actually have that episode, and if there's not somebody on scene to give them high-quality CPR or administer an AED, it usually doesn't end very well,” said Eric Fairchild, the Heart Screening Director for the nonprofit.
In Sarasota County, there’s another screening scheduled for Wednesday at North Port High School, with more expected across the district as schools prepare for the new requirement.
Who We Play For is conducting additional screenings across the state. For a complete list and to pre-register your child for an upcoming screening, click here.
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