The School Committee voted last night to approve a policy to protect student athletes, cheerleaders and band members from long-term injury due to concussions.
The policy and corresponding regulations focus on training students, parents, coaches, trainers, school nurses and other staff members to recognize the symptoms of concussion, with the goal of recovery and prevention of head injuries
The language approved by the committee states that “The purpose of this policy is to provide information and standardized procedures for persons involved in the prevention, training management and return to activity decisions regarding students who incur head injuries while involved in extracurricular athletic activities, including intramural sports, in order to protect their health and safety as required by Massachusetts law and regulations.”
Athletic Director Karen Gomez and Lead Nurse Sally Popoli presented details of the two-page policy statement and the nine-page regulations, which defines the specific roles of students, parents and school district staff in evaluating a brain injury, as well as requiring medical assessments by physicians before a student can return to sport activities, to the Human Resource and Policy Subcommittee, prior to the School Committee session at which it was approved on the recommendation of the subcommittee.
The policy was recommended by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees and reflects state law for school athletic programs signed by Gov. Deval Patrick on July 19, 2010 (Chapter 166 of th4e Acts of 2010).
Under that law, the Department of Public Safety was required to develop an interscholastic athletic head injury safety training program in which all public schools and any school subject to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association will participate. The DPH promulgated 105 CMR 201.000 following a public comment period during March and April of 2011.
The DPH regulation requires school districts to adopt policies and procedures governing the prevention and management of sports-related head injuries within the district. Review and revision of such policies and procedures must occur as needed, but at a minimum at least every two years.
The policy adopted is the initial effort to address prevention of brain injuries sustained by student athletes, which can have long-term effects on academic work and social interaction, injury assessment, treatment under the care of a physician, and prevention of brain injury reoccurrence which could be caused when the students returns to athletic activities before the initial injury is fully healed.
The subcommittee discussed options for the procedures, which could include two components of “impact testing.” One component is a pre-test, which established a baseline against which the athlete would be assessed through post-injury testing in the event of suffering a concussion. That pre-testing is not included in the policy because the financial impact of conducting the baseline testing for 1,000 students participating in sports is unknown.
“There was some discussion of pre-testing and post-testing,” Committeeman Ramon Diaz said. “It seemed to be a budget issue, something we should take look at, what cost is associated with that testing.”
Committeemen William Duval, chairman of the Human Resource and Policy Subcommittee, said the policy adopted is “very comprehensive and details what the responsibilities are of each person involved.”
“It will take time to train everyone, something that can’t be done by the beginning of school next September,” he said.
Committeeman Kevin Sullivan said that head injuries and concussions have “become a huge topic nationwide. We will have guideline if a student goes out with a concussion. That student will need medical clearance (by a physician or staff member in consultation with a physician) before he or she can play again.”
That clearance is required to prevent “second impact syndrome” in which a student, whose initial concussion is not completely healed, sustains a second brain injury, which can cause rapid brain swelling and herniation of the brain tissue, which could result in coma and respiratory failure.
