by JASON GORDON
Amendments regarding to current UIL rules regarding concussions passed by the Legislative Council of the University Interscholastic League have been approved by Commissioner of Education Robert Scott.
Scott’s approval allows the rule changes and amendments to take effect by the 2011-12 school year.
The amendment to alter the UIL Concussion Management Protocol approved by the UIL Legislative Council in October was given final approval by Commissioner Scott on March 25.
As part of the measure, UIL member schools will be required to follow the regulations for concussion management currently in place from the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Under the new guidelines, no student-athlete that sustains a concussion will be allowed to return to play on the same day. Current guidelines stipulate that a student-athlete who sustains a concussion could return to play on the same day if the student was symptom free after 15 minutes of evaluation and testing.
Return to play decisions will now be made by a licensed health care professional, and only after written clearance will they follow a stepwise progression back to full participation.
Any subsequent concussion sustained by the student-athlete will require further medical evaluation by a licensed health care professional.
“We as athletic trainers need to make sure everyone understands the dangers of concussions and these rule changes help us do that,” said Hays High assistant athletic trainer Betsy Russell. “It used to be called ‘getting your bell rung.’ A concussion truly is a brain trauma and they need to be treated very seriously. Now there is no gray area. The fact we will all be working with universal rules is a great thing.”
The amended UIL Concussion Management Protocol will take effect August 1, 2011.
“I think this is definitely a trickle down from what’s been taking place in the National Football League and the NCAA the last few years,” Lehman head athletic trainer Andi Green said. “We currently get a lot of training on concussions, but this will put everyone on the same page. It’s a much better way to handle concussions for everyone involved in athletics.”
UIL assistant athletic director Peter Contreras agreed.
“Obviously we want safety to be a first in anything we do,” Contreras said. “These recommendations came straight from our medical advisory committee and now you’re going to see us fall in line with what’s going on nationally.”
