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Mandatory Heart Screenings

LGSUHSD requires that ALL student athletes have a heart screening as part of the athletics clearance process. Last year, we screened every student athlete; this coming year, the heart screening will be required only for athletes in Grades 9 and 11 (even if your child did a heart screening in 10th grade).  The American Heart Association recommends a heart screening every two years for student athletes.  

Sudden Cardiac Arrest in youth is:

  • The leading cause of death on school campuses

  • #1 Killer of Student Athletes

  • 1 in 300 youth has an undetected heart condition

The Kyle J. Taylor Foundation will be providing on-campus heart screening opportunities for LGSUHSD student athletes prior to next year’s fall, winter and spring sport seasons.  The screening includes a cardiac risk assessment, EKG, & doctor review, and takes about 40 minutes to complete. The screening is noninvasive and painless.  Studies show that EKGs are the preferred screening method to detect heart abnormalities, given that heart conditions often have unrecognized warning signs & risk factors.  (The Kyle J. Taylor Foundation screened over 3700 student athletes in LGSUHSD & the Campbell Union High School District over the past three years, and identified over 10 students with risk factors for Sudden Cardiac Arrest.)

Families may opt to have this screening done with their personal physician.  Standard well child exams and sport physicals ARE NOT designed to identify heart conditions that put youth at risk for SCA - this is an additional screening you will need to request if you seek to have this screening done through your personal physician.  (Please check with your insurance to review coverage.)

The fall sport Heart Screening events will be held:

Los Gatos High School - Saturday 8/02/2025

Saratoga High School - Saturday 8/09/2025

Athletes may attend either screening event, regardless of their home school.  Cost of the on-campus screenings is $20.   If you are interested in a scholarship to cover the cost of the campus heart screening, and/or have questions, please contact our District Nurse, Lisa Tripp, ltripp@lgsuhsd.org. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs

Q: The date for my school is booked. Can they add more timeslots?
A: Each screening date has 200 slots. If the date you want is full, we have a reciprocal arrangement with Campbell Union High School District (CUHSD) where our athletes can attend any of their screenings. CUHSD has additional dates you can attend. You can sign-up for a CUHSD screening here (scroll down to the middle of the page to see the CUHSD slots). Student athletes may also get screened by their own doctor.

Q: I signed up for a timeslot but the confirmation says to come during a timespan (ex: 2-6pm). What time should I actually come?
A: It is best to come at your assigned screening time to manage the flow of the event, but if not possible, come as close as you can to your assigned screening time.

Q: Can we get a Heart Screening with our own doctor?
A: Yes, the district’s sports physical form has a line for the ECG screening.  If this is done by a personal physician they can enter their results on the sports form.  This additional screening is not typically included in the sports physical, and must be requested.  It may or may not be covered by insurance, so please have parents inquire prior to making this request.  

Q: Where can I get the Sports Physical Form?
A: The district’s sports physical form is attached here. 

Q: Is there a cost for the Heart Screening?
A: The heart screenings are $20 per student athlete. Scholarships are available to cover the $20 screening cost upon request. Families can email District Nurse Lisa Tripp at ltripp@lgsuhsd.org to request a scholarship.

Q: Will there be additional screening opportunities for Winter & Spring Sports?
A: Yes! The district will offer dates prior to each sports season at both Los Gatos & Saratoga High Schools for heart screenings. Stay tuned to save the date.

Q: Why is the district requiring heart screenings this year?
A: Please see the original district message below:

Q:  My 10th grade student had a heart screening last year.  Do we need to do it again?  
A:  Yes.  10th grade students should register for another heart screening for the 2025-2026 school year.  As we transition to every two year screenings, some students will be screened two consecutive years, but then will not need a screening for Grade 12.