RICHMOND
Sen. Ralph Northam’s bill that would bench student athletes who suffer concussions, until they have a medical clearance, is on its way to the governor’s desk for his signature.
Northam, a Norfolk Democrat who is a pediatric neurologist, won unanimous support for SB652 in both the House and Senate. The legislation also requires school boards to develop guidelines and procedures for dealing with concussions and inform parents and students about the dangers.
Several state legislatures are considering similar bills.
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This is already standard
This is already standard practice in at least Virginia Beach and Suffolk. My son suffered a concussion at a wrestling tournament and was taken out of the tournament by the Athletic Trainer on site. His home school AT wouldn't let him participate in any drills until we had medical clearance and she felt he passed her tests to her satisfaction. The whole process was a bit overboard and she ended up keeping him out way longer than the doctor.The trick is having ATs that actually watch the events, kids that will let someone know when they don't feel right and coaches that will actually acknowledge the situation. Too many kids don't want to be pulled out and will therefore hide any symptoms, and if he/she is a star some coached won't pull the kid.
There are thousands of head
There are thousands of head injuries that are mistreated at the expense of the athlete involved. Kids have parents to ensure their health and safety...but as someone else said, are you trained in concussion diagnosis and management? Do you know the concussion symptoms, and much less, the potential dangers of concussions?? Too many parents are too concerned with their son/daughter playing a game that they put their well being aside, because the child says they feel ok. An athlete may feel ok, but it still takes 7-10 days for the effects of a head injury to potentially clear up. I am a Certified Athletic Trainer, nationally credentialed, and licensed to practice by the state of Virginia. I am trained in the diagnosis, care, and management of concussions. The potential risks of further injury or death are too great for me to allow a parent to tell me that their son/daughter is healthy enough to play if my training and education on the topic tells me otherwise.
There should not need to be
There should not need to be a law regarding this, it should be a set policy nationwide. Professionals are put on the sick list for hangnails, why would anyone let a child with a head injury play without a doctor's release? Why have we all (or many) allowed the government to take over so much of our responsibilities? Are we that dumb? I am not objecting to the law per se, but that it is felt to be necessary.
Um...
This is already standard practice in at least Virginia Beach and Suffolk. My son suffered a concussion at a wrestling tournament and was taken out of the tournament by the Athletic Trainer on site. His home school AT wouldn't let him participate in any drills until we had medical clearance and she felt he passed her tests to her satisfaction. The whole process was a bit overboard and she ended up keeping him out way longer than the doctor.The trick is having ATs that actually watch the events, kids that will let someone know when they don't feel right and coaches that will actually acknowledge the situation. Too many kids don't want to be pulled out and will therefore hide any symptoms, and if he/she is a star some coached won't pull the kid.
What?
Why is this a law? This is why kids have parents...to make sure they are healthy enough to play. Doesn't the General Assembly have bigger, more important things to be worrying about?
"WHAT?" are you talking about??
This NEEDS to be a law. Period. As is has not been a law in many states for many years, there are thousands of head injuries that are mistreated at the expense of the athlete involved. Yes, kids have parents to ensure their health and safety...but as someone else said, are you trained in concussion diagnosis and management? Do you know the signs and symptoms, and much less, the potential dangers of concussions?? Too many parents are too concerned with their son/daughter playing a game that they put their well being aside, because the child says they feel ok. An athlete may feel ok, but it still takes 7-10 days for the effects of a head injury to potentially clear up. I am a Certified Athletic Trainer, nationally credentialed, and licensed to practice by the state of Virginia. I am trained in the diagnosis, care, and management of concussions. The potential risks of further injury or death are too great for me to allow a parent to tell me that their son/daughter is healthy enough to play if my training and education on the topic tells me otherwise. So for you to think that as a parent you know all about concussions and the health of your child, that is unfortunate for your
I guess you haven't seen the
I guess you haven't seen the endless reports and interviews about former football players in their 40's and 50's who suffer from late stage Alzheimer's and dementia... their brains turned to mush because of head numerous concussions and head injuries.
But hey who cares, you're kids gonna be a star!
So...
you are at all practices and games? And you have some type of medical knowledge to diagnose concussions and if the concussion is healed?
Great News!
Any kind of concussion, major or minor, is bad. Very bad. I love sports, including football. But not at the risk of our people.