JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A major change is coming for Florida student-athletes, and Duval County is already getting ahead of it. Eighth graders at Fletcher Middle School received free heart screenings as part of a districtwide effort to protect young athletes before they step onto the field.
The sound of bouncing basketballs, the thud of football cleats on turf, and the rhythm of students running drills all paint a familiar picture. These young athletes push their bodies hard in the heat and long practices. But behind the scenes, a silent threat can go unnoticed.
Anastasia Aston from Who We Play For said, “We want to get ahead of some of these underlying conditions that a physical doesn’t usually cover.”
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Thursday, Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is taking steps to confront that risk. Dozens of eighth-grade student-athletes received free heart screenings. The event was hosted in partnership with the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program, with medical staff from Who We Play For conducting the tests. The goal is to catch hidden heart conditions before they strike.
Misty Hudson, who brought her 14-year-old daughter to the screening, said, “I think it’s a great service that’s being provided.” Her daughter is a young volleyball athlete who trains rigorously. Hudson explained why she’s taking no chances with her daughter’s health: “Because there’s unfortunately a lot of youth that have collapsed more in recent years.”
The screenings take only five minutes, with results returned in less than a week.
Fletcher Middle School Principal Joe McKenzie explained, “So if we know that the student is not going to have any pre-existing condition with her heart, then we can really roll out any kind of other further harm to that student athlete going forward.”
He added that screenings help prepare students for high school sports: “We want to make sure that when they go to high school, they’re ready, prepared to be the best athlete they can be, and then they can be safe doing it.”
The screenings are particularly timely because a new Florida law will soon make them mandatory. Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, all new high school student-athletes must receive an EKG as part of their sports physical. The state says the requirement is designed to detect potentially life-threatening issues before a young athlete collapses during play.
An EKG measures the heart’s electrical activity using small electrode patches placed on the chest, arms, and legs. The test typically costs families $50 to $100, but Thursday’s screenings were offered at no cost thanks to grant funding and local partnerships.
This event is also part of a larger DCPS initiative to bring heart screenings to middle schools across the district throughout the year.
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