Concussion Policy

On April 14th, 2012, Governor Heineman signed into law LB260, the Nebraska Concussion Awareness Act.  This bill took effect July 1, 2012.  The City of Papillion recognizes the potential danger and long-term health consequences of this often difficult to diagnose form of traumatic brain injury.  The Policy is intended to provide easy-to-understand guidelines related to players who have been diagnosed with or are suspected of having a concussion.

Helpful Resources:

CDC Heads Up to Youth Sports, Concussion in Youth Sports

The Policy is for Coaches, Parents and Players but is to be shared with any other adults or participants in City of Papillion Recreation Programs.  Click here for a PDF version of the policy.

  1. Coaches
  2. Parents
  3. Players

Coaches


Coaches (all volunteer head coaches and assistant coaches), on their own time, will watch in its entirety at least once every two years one of the following two free educational videos:

  1. “Concussion in Sports – What you Need to Know” developed by The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
  2. “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports Online Concussion Training” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Rules and Regulations

  • When a Coach volunteers to coach (part of the player online registration process) the Coach will be required to answer Yes or No to a question “Have you completed one of the authorized Concussion Training videos in the past two years”
  • Before each season, all Coaches will be given a copy of CDC’s “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports, A Fact Sheet for Coaches” document or a similar document to be approved by the Papillion Recreation Department.
  • Concussions rarely (less than 10% of occurrences) involve loss of consciousness.  However, in the event of loss of consciousness the Coach will call 911 or will instruct another adult to call 911.
  • When, during a session, a Player is suspected of having a concussion the Coach will remove the Player from the session and will not allow the player to return to play for the remainder of the session. The Coach will keep the Player out even if the Player insists, "I'm OK now, Coach"
  • The Coach will inform the Player’s Parent or guardian of the Player’s symptoms as soon as possible.  Ideally, the Parent will be notified immediately.

Removing Athletes from Participation

An athlete having been removed from participation for the purpose of presenting with signs or symptoms or “reasonably suspected” of having sustained a concussion must have, before RTP or participation is allowed by a coach:

  • written and signed clearance from an appropriate licensed health care professional trained in the evaluation and management of traumatic brain injuries among a pediatric populations, and;
  • written and signed clearance from the athlete’s parents/legal guardians.