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Lack of Protocols Leave Concussed Students With No Clear Path Back To Class
When a person experiences a concussion it puts a stop to everything. School, sports, and even social media take a backseat to rest and rehabilitation. For the first few days it can be almost exciting to get a break from the pressures of school and sports, but before long most start asking “when can I go back?”
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In the case of sports, that question has a fairly definitive answer. Strict regulations generally say young athletes are allowed to return to play only once they’ve been cleared by a health professional and are no longer experiencing symptoms. Surprisingly, the question of when concussed student can return to the classroom is more difficult to answer.
Concern over the consequences of repeated sports-related concussions have motivated the creation of numerous new regulations establishing how long players are to be removed from participation following a brain injury. But, there are no hard and fast rules that say how long students should be out of the classroom.
Julie Rasicot from Bethesda Magazine recently explored how concussed students fall through the cracks of student health and absentee policies. With no return-to-learn protocols, students are left with the tough decision to miss an extended period of class or return before they might be fully ready.
While returning to sports too early following a concussion can pose significant health risks, there needs to be more attention paid to the needs of students with concussions. Most often, the best way for students with brain injury to return to the classroom is gradually, but without policies to allow this they are often left with an “all or none” decision.
Find out more in Rasicot’s article for Bethesda Magazine, “How Concussions Affect Students Academically”.
