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As the school year begins and students return to participating in physical activities, we’d like to remind districts about the seriousness of student head injuries.
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Head injuries can occur on the playground, during physical education classes, in a classroom or during athletic events. Concussions are sometimes called traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. Because a concussion can occur with no obvious signs or symptoms, any child experiencing this type of injury should be evaluated.
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This year, in consultation with the ESD 112 Nurse Corps, the Risk Co-Op has revised the Head Injury Procedures, Head Injury Letter, Student Accident/Incident Report and Guidelines for When to Complete a Student Accident/Incident Report forms.
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- The Head Injury Procedures document provides instructions on how to care for a student suffering a head and/or neck injury, identifies when 9-1-1 should be called, and provides a checklist of signs and symptoms of a concussion. It also offers additional care instructions and guidance on when to notify parents.
- The Head Injury Letter should be completed and given to parents for all injuries involving the head and/or neck.
- The Student Accident/Incident Report should be completed and returned to the Risk Co-Op anytime a student receives a serious head and/or neck injury (and for other accidents/injuries as well). The form has been updated to include a space to document that the head injury letter was completed and properly distributed.
- The Guidelines for When to Complete a Student Accident/Incident Report provides detailed information on when the report should be completed. The Risk Co-Op reviews and retains all student accident reports to document the procedures followed and care given to students. The reports are also reviewed to identify injury trends in order to develop mitigation strategies to reduce student injuries.
We will be sending the updated forms to your district office for distribution.
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The following resources provide additional information about head injuries and concussion protocols:
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