Florida’s New Sports Physical Requirements

What Parents Need to Know About EKGs for Student-Athletes Before the 2026-27 School Year

Sports physicals have always been a routine part of gearing up for a new school year. You schedule the appointment, your athlete gets cleared, and everyone moves on without thinking twice about it. For years, it has been one of those boxes parents check off somewhere between buying new cleats and figuring out practice schedules.

But starting July 1, 2026, that routine is changing in a real way. Florida is raising the bar when it comes to student-athlete safety, and there is now an additional step families need to plan for ahead of time. If your child is heading into high school sports or even joining a team for the first time later on, this is not something you want to run into at the last minute.

Florida’s New EKG Requirement for High School Athletes

Florida is making history as the first state in the country to require EKG heart screenings for most high school athletes as part of their sports clearance process. The legislation, known as the Second Chance Act, officially takes effect July 1, 2026, with clearance forms for the 2026-27 school year opening around May 25, 2026. This is not a suggestion or a recommendation from a local school board. This is a statewide mandate, and it applies to FHSAA-sanctioned sports across the board.

The driving force behind the law is simple: sudden cardiac arrest is the leading medical cause of death among young athletes. Many of the heart conditions responsible for this, such as cardiomyopathies and channelopathies, show zero warning signs. A student-athlete can appear completely healthy, perform well in practice, and still carry a condition that puts their life at risk during competition. The standard sports physical does a lot of things well, but identifying these hidden conditions is not always one of them. An EKG gives physicians a much clearer picture of what is actually happening with the heart, which is exactly the point.

Who Needs an EKG Under the New Law

Not every student-athlete in the state falls under the new requirement, but a large portion does. Here is a breakdown of who is affected:

Incoming 9th Graders Competing in FHSAA Sports

Every student entering 9th grade who plans to participate in an FHSAA-sanctioned sport is required to have an EKG before they receive athletic clearance. No exceptions, no workarounds. If your child is transitioning from middle school athletics to the high school level, this applies to them.

First-Time Participants in Grades 10-12

This one catches a lot of families off guard. If a student in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade is joining an FHSAA sport for the very first time, they are also required to complete the EKG screening. So if your sophomore decides this is the year they want to try out for the soccer team, the EKG requirement applies to them, too.

Returning Athletes

Students who have already competed in FHSAA sports are not required to get an EKG under the new law, though it is strongly encouraged. If your child has been playing varsity sports throughout high school, they are in the clear, but the option is still on the table, and plenty of physicians will recommend it anyway, given the health benefits.

One important note for families already thinking ahead: EKGs completed within two years before the 2026-27 school year are eligible to count toward the new requirement. So if your child already had one done recently, hold onto that documentation.

The Forms You Will Need

The paperwork side of this process is straightforward, but you need to know what to ask for. Starting July 1, 2026, the required form is the FHSAA EL1 ECG Screening form. This form must be submitted alongside the standard athletic clearance paperwork for any incoming 9th grader or first-time participant in grades 10-12.

There is also a second form, the ME1, which a physician is able to use in cases where completing the EKG is not medically appropriate for a specific student. If there is a legitimate medical reason a student should not undergo the screening, the physician documents that exemption on the ME1 form and submits it with the clearance paperwork.

Beyond the EKG requirement itself, the standard pre-participation sports physical is still very much required. The EKG does not replace it. Both need to happen, and both need to be documented correctly for a student-athlete to receive clearance.

What the EKG Actually Screens For

Parents often ask what exactly an EKG is looking for in a healthy teenager. It is a fair question because, from the outside, it sounds like a lot for a kid who plays soccer, eats well, and has never had a health complaint.

An EKG, or electrocardiogram, measures the electrical activity of the heart. It picks up irregularities in rhythm and structure that would never show up during a basic physical exam. The conditions it helps detect are serious ones.

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart muscle thickens abnormally, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. It is one of the most common causes of sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
• Long QT syndrome is an electrical disorder that affects the heart’s rhythm and increases the risk of dangerous, irregular heartbeats during physical exertion.
• Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome involves an extra electrical pathway in the heart that causes a rapid heart rate and, in rare cases, sudden cardiac arrest.
• Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is a structural heart disease that replaces normal heart tissue with fatty or fibrous tissue, increasing the risk of arrhythmias during exercise.

None of these conditions necessarily present with symptoms beforehand. A 15-year-old with any of the above conditions looks and feels like every other kid on the field. The EKG is the tool that finds what the eye cannot see.

Getting Ready Before the Season Starts

Florida’s athletic clearance window for the 2026-27 school year opens around May 25, 2026. That means the window between now and July 1 is the time to get organized. Waiting until August, when everyone is scrambling, before fall sports begin, is a recipe for stress and delays.

Here is a practical checklist for families getting ahead of it:

• Check whether your student-athlete falls under the new requirement based on their grade and participation history
• Locate any prior EKG documentation if one was completed in the last two years
• Schedule both the sports physical and the EKG before the clearance window opens in late May
• Confirm with your provider that they are familiar with the FHSAA EL1 ECG Screening form requirements

Being proactive here is not just about convenience. Athletes who do not meet the new clearance requirements before the season starts are not eligible to participate. Missing that deadline has real consequences for their season.

Schedule Your Sports Physical and EKG at TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track

TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track is ready to help student-athletes across the Tampa Bay area get everything they need to meet Florida’s new requirements. With multiple locations serving Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Lee, and Charlotte counties, getting your athlete seen before the clearance window opens has never been more accessible.

Walk in or use the Save My Spot e-Check-in to fill out paperwork electronically before you even arrive, making the visit faster and more straightforward for busy families. TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., so fitting this into your schedule around school, practices, and everything else is absolutely doable. Do not wait until the summer rush. Get your athlete cleared, covered, and ready to compete before the 2026-27 season gets here.