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A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow or motion to the head or body that disrupts the normal functioning of the brain and can cause significant and sustained neuropsychological impairments including, but not limited to, problem solving, planning, memory, and behavioral problems. In order to ensure safety, it is imperative that students participating in athletic competition, coaches, and parents are educated about the nature and treatment of sports-related concussions and other head injuries. Allowing a student to return to athletic competition before recovering from a concussion increases the chance of a more serious brain injury.
For the purpose of this Policy and Regulation 2431.4, programs of athletic competition shall include high school interscholastic athletic programs, middle school interscholastic athletic programs where school teams or squads play teams or squads from other school districts, intramural athletic programs within a school or among schools in the district, and any cheerleading program or activity in the school district.
The school district shall adopt an athletic head injury safety training program. The program shall be completed by the school physician, any individual who coaches in an athletic competition, an athletic trainer involved in any athletic competition, and the school nurse. The training program shall be in accordance with guidance provided by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and the requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.2.
The school district shall annually distribute the NJDOE-developed educational fact sheet regarding sports-related concussions and other head injuries to all parents of students participating in any athletic competition or practice and shall obtain a signed acknowledgement of the receipt of the fact sheet by the student and their parent in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.2(c).
A student who participates in an athletic competition or practice and who sustains or is suspected of sustaining a concussion or other head injury shall be immediately removed from athletic competition or practice. A student removed from athletic competition or practice shall not participate in further athletic competition or practice until they are evaluated by a physician or other licensed healthcare provider trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and receives written clearance from a physician trained in the evaluation and management of concussions to return to athletic competition or practice; and the student returns to regular school activities and is no longer experiencing symptoms of the injury when conducting those activities in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.4.
The return of a student to athletic competition or practice shall also be in accordance with the graduated, six-step “Return to Play Progression” recommendations and any subsequent changes or other updates to these recommendations as developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Board shall revise this Policy and Regulation 2431.4 whenever the CDC changes or otherwise updates the “Return to Play Progression” recommendations.
The school district shall provide a copy of this Policy and Regulation 2431.4 to all youth sports team organizations that operate on school grounds. In accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.5, the school district shall not be liable for the injury or death of a person due to the action or inaction of persons employed by, or under contract with, a youth sports team organization that operates on school grounds, if the youth sports team organization provides the school district proof of an insurance policy of an amount of not less than $50,000 per person, per occurrence insuring the youth sports team organization against liability for any bodily injury suffered by a person and a statement of compliance with this Policy and Regulation 2431.4.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.5 and for the purpose of this Policy, a “youth sports team organization” means one or more sports teams organized pursuant to a nonprofit or similar charter or which are member teams in a league organized by or affiliated with a county or municipal recreation department.
This Policy and Regulation 2431.4 shall be reviewed and approved by the school physician annually and updated as necessary to ensure it reflects the most current information available on the prevention, risk, and treatment of sports-related concussions and other head injuries in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.3.
N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.1; 18A:40-41.2; 18A:40-41.3;
18A:40-41.4; 18A:40-41.5
Adopted: 28 August 2014
Revised: 28 April 2022