§169. Insurance covering students participating in athletics and sports

A. Each parish and city school board may, for each school under its jurisdiction, purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance issued to the board as policy holder, the cost of each such policy to be paid for out of the athletic fund derived by each such school from its gate receipts for athletic events or from any other funds available to the school board for payment of a portion or all of such costs. Each policy so purchased and maintained shall provide the following:

(1) Coverage of every student enrolled in a school under the jurisdiction of the school board who is a member of a regular school sponsored team which participates in intramural or intermural athletics or sports, excluding teams which function solely within scheduled physical education courses. Students duly authorized to act as water boys, bat boys, referees, score keepers, coaches, managers or in other similar capacities in connection with such teams shall be considered to be members of such team for the purposes of this section;

(2) Insurance against bodily injury, death, dismemberment, or permanent disablement or any injury received by any student described in paragraph (1) above, regardless of the cause thereof and including specifically, but not exclusively, any injury resulting from accidents or the intentional or negligent acts or omissions of any person or persons, including other students, invitees, licensees, trespassers, teachers, coaches and other public employees and agents or instrumentalities of the state or a political subdivision thereof, the amount of coverage under such insurance policy not to be less than $2,500.00 per person.

(3) Insurance covering the expenses of hospitalization, drugs, attending physician, surgical costs and funeral expenses incurred by or on behalf of a student described in paragraph (1) above in connection with injuries described in paragraph (2) above, the amount of coverage under such insurance policy not to be less than $1,000.00 per person.

(4) The coverage authorized by paragraphs (2) and (3) above shall be limited to expenses, damages and losses arising out of the student's participation in school sponsored practice play and play in official contests, but said coverage shall apply whether or not such participation occurs on the premises of a school under the jurisdiction of the policy holder. "Play", as used herein, includes but is not necessarily limited to warming up exercises and activities, and also the activities of students acting as water boys, bat boys, referees, score keepers, coaches, managers or in other similar capacities as described in paragraph (1) above. "Participation" as used herein includes but is not necessarily limited to the student's presence at dugouts, benches, sidelines or other similar places where members of the team remain in readiness to be sent into actual play in such practice play or official contest.

B. The coverages authorized in Subsection A above shall apply regardless of whether the students covered by the policy or policies receive from any public charitable institution or hospital any services, hospitalization or medical care rendered in connection with any injury described in Subsection A above.

C. The policy or policies shall not exclude liability on the part of the insurer by reason of any immunity of the state or its agencies, instrumentalities, employees or agents involved in an accident, act or omission resulting in injury or death of any student covered, but such policy or policies shall specifically state that the coverage and insurance therein shall apply regardless of any such claim of immunity.

D. The terms of the policy or policies shall be such that the students covered shall be the beneficiaries thereunder, and they, their parents, tutors, heirs or legal representatives shall have a right of direct action against the insurer to enforce the provisions of such policy or policies.

E. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to cover students enrolled in colleges, universities or other institutions of higher education.

Added by Acts 1960, No. 289, §1. Amended by Acts 1973, No. 122, §1.