More concussions, rising concern: High school increases monitoring, reporting

School-sponsored athletes aren’t the only ones who need to be monitored after sustaining a blow to the head; skateboarders, bikers and other active Laguna Beach High students need extra attention after a concussion, even if the accident occurred off school property, the school board was told Tuesday night.

Teachers, counselors and parents need to know when a student may have suffered a traumatic brain injury, Mike Churchill, the school’s athletic director, told the Laguna Beach Unified School District trustees. And to that end, he said, the school has intensified its reporting policy starting this year.

Churchill and Irene White, the district’s student services director, updated the board on concussion protocols and outlined a specific chain of communication among coaches, trainers, staff, teachers, counselors and parents to identify and monitor students who may have suffered a concussion — either at a school-sanctioned athletic activity or during leisure time.

Under new district policies, if a parent reports that a child has suffered a concussion, staff must notify the student’s counselor, who will in turn tell the district nurse, teachers and coaches.

The move comes after teachers expressed concern about students who have trouble concentrating or appear drowsy, White said.

The new policy augments what the district already has in place, but more clearly identifies the roles of teacher, staff member and counselor, Churchill said.

For the first time last year, students in all sports took a computer test called ImPACT to assess mental capabilities such as concentration, memory and reaction time. Each athlete received a baseline reading, used to compare test results following a concussion.

The tests are still in place, but now a concussion expert will talk with the athlete after he or she takes the test to go over the results, Churchill said.

“We might say, ‘Your scores look out of whack; is there anything going on in your life?’” Churchill said.

Under new district policies, a counselor will notify a student’s teachers about a suspected concussion and develop a care plan for the student to closely monitor his or her recovery.

Concussions are occurring regularly at the high school, Churchill reported. Since school started in September, 12 Laguna Beach High athletes have suffered concussions at school-related events, the total for all of the 2013-14 year.

Laguna Beach mirrors a statewide trend, according to Assembly Bill 2127, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in July. It becomes effective Jan. 1.

The bill piggy-backs on existing legislation that requires coaches or athletic trainers to remove any player from practice or competition if that player exhibits signs of a concussion or head injury.

“Concussions and other mild traumatic brain injuries affect thousands of California’s high school pupil-athletes each year,” the bill says. “Many concussions or head injuries go undetected due to a lack of recognition of symptoms or intentional underreporting of symptoms.”

Symptoms of a concussion include headaches, nausea, fatigue, concentration problems, sensitivity to light, irritability, sadness and dizziness.

Most concussions occur without the loss of consciousness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The hard part is a student looks like they are perfectly fine,” White said. “They engage with the teacher like they did before, but unfortunately, many of them have symptoms immediately following a concussion.”

Under existing state law, a player suspected of sustaining a head injury may not return to competition until he or she has been cleared by a licensed healthcare provider.

Beginning Jan. 1, athletes with a head injury will need to wait at least seven days from the time of the incident before returning to play, the bill says.

Concussions can occur in any sport, but AB 2127 includes specific rules related to football players.

For example, high school or middle school football teams will be limited to two full-contact practices — when players dress in pads and helmets — per week during preseason and regular season, the bill says.

Each full-contact session may not exceed 90 minutes, and teams will be barred from holding full-contact practices in the offseason.

The bill also clarifies that a licensed healthcare provider must be trained in concussion management.

Keys to recovery include abstaining from concentration or learning — even video games should be off limits — getting adequate sleep and ensuring no additional forces to the head.

Keeping athletes out until they have recovered is critical, the CDC says.

In rare cases, repeat concussions in young athletes can result in permanent damage to their brain and even death, according to the CDC.

Concussions affect people differently, the CDC reports. While most athletes recover quickly, some have symptoms that last for days or even weeks.

Churchill reiterated the importance of rest after a shot to the head.

“If you sprain your ankle, you get off it and rest it,” he said. “If you sprain your brain, you get off and rest it. But we don’t think that way because we cant see our brain.”