Section 2.1: School Related Operations

Approved: June 3, 2014

Revised: November 3, 2020

CONCUSSION MANAGEMENT

1.0             Rationale

District School Board Ontario North East (DSB1) is committed to helping all students succeed and lead safe, healthy and active lives. As part of its commitment to student safety, injury prevention and well-being, DSB1 supports concussion awareness, prevention, identification, management, tracking and training in schools through policy and resources.

2.0             Definitions

Concussion Awareness Resource (Approved): a resource made available on the Ontario Government’s concussion website. It may also refer to resources that have been approved by the school board, provided that the school board has ensured they are consistent with the government’s resources.

Concussions: brain injuries caused by excessive, rapid movement of the brain inside the skull. This movement causes damage that changes how brain cells function, leading to symptoms that can be physical (headaches, dizziness), cognitive (problems remembering or concentrating), or emotional (feeling depressed). A concussion can result from a blow to the head, face or neck or by a blow to the body in any number of activities including receiving a check in hockey, falling from a jungle gym, being in a motor vehicle collision, or slipping on an icy sidewalk. https://parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/concussion/

• can occur even if there has been no loss of consciousness
• cannot normally be seen by means of medical imaging tests, such as X-rays, standard computed tomography (CT) scans, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

Return to Learn: the student’s return to doing school work, including activities that include reading and writing. It does not include physical activities.

Return to Physical Activity: the student’s return to participation in any physical activity that increases the student’s heart rate.

Return to School Plan: a personalized strategy to support a student’s Return to Learning and Return to Physical Activity after suffering a concussion.

3.0             Policy

It is the policy of DSB1 to provide a safe environment that promotes the overall well-being of students and takes steps to reduce the risk of injury. DSB1 recognizes the importance of promoting the safety of students as this is an essential precondition for effective learning. As such, we are committed to increasing awareness for all students, staff, parents, guardians, volunteers and health care practitioners to support the timely and proper management of concussions.