Concussion rules strengthened
ROCKPORT — Rockport is beefing up its policy for dealing with students who sustain concussions in order to comply with state requirements that will take effect March 1.
The Massachusetts Association of School Committees put new language that Rockport plans to incorporate into its policy out just before the holidays, adding more responsibility to the school system to ensure that children who receive concussions during sports contests are properly treated.
“The sports have become so much faster,” said Michael Gilbert, field director of information and technology for MASC. “These types of injuries are difficult to detect.”
Rockport’s existing policy won’t be significantly changed by the new language, which mostly emphasizes the importance of a graduated re-entry to the school day for students who suffer concussions and an increased awareness of the symptoms of such injuries.
All districts in Massachusetts were required to have an interim concussion policy in place as of Jan. 1, and a final policy by March 1, according to state law. All districts are required to review their policies every two years and make changes whenever needed.
Rockport’s policy puts the onus on teachers and coaches to make sure that students do not return to activities before they are ready, since research has shown that stress can exacerbate the damage of a concussion, and people who do not fully heal from concussions before returning to activity are risking more extensive damage if they are re-injured.
The MASC language directly addresses students as well as parents, teachers and coaches, asking students who are injured to be honest about not feeling up to challenges or about being injured.
Students who have been injured are also encouraged to rest and not to rush back into athletics.
“Kids always want to get back into the activity,” said Gilbert. Gilbert said that is why teachers and coaches have to be careful to be sure that students do not re-injure themselves.
Rockport schools already require extensive documentation of all head injuries and a careful re-introduction into the full school day for injured students. Rockport requires an injured student to get medical permission to return to activities following a concussion, though — if teachers or coaches notice that the student does not seem recovered — he or she can be removed from activities again.
The stepped-up policies come after Boston University Medical School studies linked repeated head trauma to degenerative brain problems.
Repeated head injuries may increase the risk of a variety of progressive brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and the muscle-ravaging condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Stephanie Bergman can contacted at 978-283-7000 x3451 or sbergman@gloucestertimes.com