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MIAMI – In an effort to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in sports, Miami-Dade County Public Schools is requiring all high school student-athletes to undergo heart screenings before stepping foot on the athletic fields.

The Miami-Dade County School Board passed a measure for an electrocardiogram (ECG) program which can detect an irregular heartbeat, which is one of the symptoms for sudden cardiac arrest and other heart-related problems.

The screenings, which will be offered at no cost to students, are the result of a collaboration with Jackson Health System, Baptist Health, and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

The board’s decision comes just weeks after Lucas Osuna, a 15-year-old student at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, who died suddenly during his team’s water polo club event.

According to reports, Osuna died of sudden cardiac arrest.

With this move, Miami-Dade becomes the sixth school district in Florida to implement mandatory heart screenings for student-athletes, joining a growing effort to improve safety in youth sports.