By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Not surprisingly, we’ve learned that school sports aren’t always fun. Fortunately, the Youth Sports Safety Alliance has proposed some major safety changes.

At a recent Youth Safety Summit in Washington, D.C., nine recommendations for action were developed. The plan calls for all schools to have a comprehensive athletic healthcare administrative program, safe practice and play facilities and injury and illness-prevention strategies.

Specific actions for four major injury areas include: cardiac events, neurologic injuries, environment-or exertion-related situations and dietary or substance induced conditions.

With regard to cardiac events, coaches and athletic officials should be trained in CPR and use of automatic external defibrillators; each student should have a comprehensive pre-participation examination including questions on cardiac history; venue specific emergency action plans;, and base-line concussion testing for students where appropriate with training school personnel for symptoms of concussions.

Learn more in Education Week.