Concussion Management and Awareness Act Adherence Policy

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. Concussions occur when normal brain functioning is disrupted by a blow or jolt to the head. Signs and symptoms of a concussion include, but are not
limited to: amnesia, confusion, dizziness, headache, loss of consciousness, nausea, poor attention or concentration, poor coordination, slurred speech, visual disturbance, and vomiting. Recovery from a concussion will vary.

The Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central School District has established the following protocol to guide the return of students to school and activities following a suspected concussion, regardless of whether such injury occurred outside of school. The District reserves the right to develop more stringent protections at any time, and to act in a manner that is more cautious in protecting the health and well-being of its students.

Wheh a student shows ANY signs or symptoms of a concussion: 

1. The student will not be allowed to return to play in the current athletic activity, game, or practice.
2. The student's general cognitive status should be determined by the school nurse, an athletic trainer or, if appropriate medical personnel are not available, the coach or District personnel responsible for supervising the student.
3. The student should not be left alone, and regular monitoring for deterioration is essential over the initial few hours following injury.
4. Following the injury, the student shall be instructed to see his/her primary care physician or an emergency department physician within 24 hours.
5. Return to play must follow a medically supervised stepwise process.

The cornerstone of proper concussion management is rest until resolution of all symptoms,
clearance by the student's treating physician, and then a graded program of exertion before return to sport. The program is broken down into six steps in which only one step is covered a day. The six steps involve the following:

1. Low impact, non-strenuous, light aerobic activity such as walking or riding a stationary bike. If tolerated without return of symptoms over a 24 hour period proceed to;
2. Higher impact, higher exertion, and moderate aerobic activity such as running or jumping rope. No resistance training. If tolerated without return of symptoms over a 24 hour period proceed to;
3. Sport specific non-contact activity. Low resistance weight training with a spotter. If tolerated without return of symptoms over a 24 hour period proceed to;
4. Sport specific activity, non-contact drills. Higher resistance weight training with a spotter. If tolerated without return of symptoms over a 24 hour period proceed to;
5. Full contact training drills and intense aerobic activity. If tolerated without return of symptoms over a 24 hour period proceed to;
6. Return to full activities without restrictions.

If any symptoms recur, the student shall submit to an examination by his or her treating physician, receive written authorization from such physician to resume activity, rest for 24 hours, drop back to the previous step, and then resume the protocol. In addition, the student should be monitored for recurrence of systems due to physical activity and/ or mental exertion, such as reading, working on a computer, or taking a test. Return to participation shall be permitted upon completion of the protocol. The school's physician will make the final decision on return to activity including recess, physical education class, and after-school sports.

Additional information on concussions is available at the websites of the New York State Education Department and the New York State Department of Health:
www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/schoolhealth/schoolhealthservices/ConcussionManageGuidelines.pdf
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/injury_prevention/concussion.htm

*IMPORTANT Parents/Guardians should understand that immediate return to play may not occur and their patience and understanding of the medical importance, adherence to New York State Law, and significance of head injury, is the District's number one priority.