A new law called the Youth Sports Concussion Safety Act took effect this fall. It is designed to better protect students enrolled in Illinois public and private schools who suffer concussions.In the event of a head injury, the law requires that students be evaluated by a physician or licensed athletic trainer. Following such evaluation, students must also get written consent from a physician or from an athletic trainer working under a physician’s supervision before they can return to play or to the classroom. The new law also requires schools to establish concussion oversight teams responsible for implementing return-to-play and return-to-learn protocols and policies.
One North Shore school, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH), went even further to protect its students recently. Administrators at OLPH contacted Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI) with a special request for baseline concussion testing. These baseline tests measure cognitive function and prove invaluable in the event of a concussion.
While it’s fairly common for high schools to offer these tests, especially for students involved in contact sports, OLPH officials wanted to ensure that their younger student athletes had access to these tests as well. As a result, OLPH and IBJI joined forces to host two special events at the school earlier this month, where IBJI provided free tests to approximately 165 students in grades 5-8. The Glenview Lantern featured this important safety partnership in a recent story. Read the full story.
