Dangers of a Concussion
Due to an increasing awareness of the dangers of a concussion, the Ministry of Education has directed every school board in Ontario to develop and maintain a protocol on concussions.
As a result, HWDSB has developed a Concussion Directive, which recognizes the importance of recognizing suspected concussions, diagnosis of suspected concussion, and the management of diagnosed concussions. Concussions can have an impact on a student’s long-term health and academic success. It is also important that staff and individuals in schools have information on appropriate strategies to minimize risk of concussion through grade specific curriculum..
The Directive also provides the steps to follow if staff or individuals suspect that a student may have a concussion, as well as procedures to guide students’ return to learning and physical activity after they have been diagnosed with a concussion.
We recognize that supporting students with a diagnosed concussion is a shared responsibility between the school, parents/guardians and medical practitioners.
Being Prepared
Because concussions can also happen during any physical activities that students participate in outside of HWDSB, we need parents/guardians to inform their school if their child has been diagnosed with a concussion, so that we can ensure the child receives the proper supports in school.
HWDSB’s Concussion Procedure can be found under our policy page. The Directive is located with the Healthy School and Workplace section, within the Medical Health Supports Policy.
Find more information
- Parachute Canada
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Ontario Physical Education Guidelines
- Hamilton Brain Injury Association
- HWDSB Concussion Training Video
Updated on Wednesday, February 07, 2018.