As the NFL grapples with the health effects of concussions in retired football players, concern has grown over contact sports among youth.
School districts are becoming increasingly aware of the danger of concussions in school contact sports, assistant superintendent Michael Apostol said last week.
The district is forming a committee, headed by athletic director Chris Curran, he said at the regular meeting of the Board of Education Tuesday, May 8.
“A concussion doesn’t have to be that big hit that you see on TV; it can be a minor contact or an incidental contact, and kids can get concussions. One of the things that’s difficult is that most of them are not unconscious. So if we’re not careful you can get a second one, a third one and before you know it that kid – or high school student, or college student or professional – has a serious problem,” he said.
The new committee would develop procedures to follow in case of a concussion suffered in sports, Apostol said. After the obvious – informing the student’s parents and having him or her examined by a doctor – such questions as when the student should return to regular classes, what steps should be taken to reintegrate him or her into sports and similar follow-up processes would be examined by the committee.
The committee would also “educate teachers, educate coaches and educate parents,” Apostol said.
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