What Is a Concussion?
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells.
While concussions are usually not life-threatening, they are serious injuries that require proper recognition and management. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to concussions and may take longer to recover than adults.
📌 Important Fact: You don't have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. In fact, most concussions occur without loss of consciousness. According to the CDC, emergency department visits for concussions in children have increased significantly in recent years, making awareness crucial for educators and parents.
How Do Concussions Happen in School Settings?
⚽ Sports Activities
- • Contact sports (football, soccer, basketball)
- • Collisions during physical education
- • Falls during athletics or gymnastics
- • Head-to-head or head-to-object impacts
🎠 Playground Accidents
- • Falls from playground equipment
- • Collisions on slides or swings
- • Running into poles or walls
- • Accidents during recess activities
🏃 General School Activities
- • Falls in hallways or on stairs
- • Door-related accidents
- • Bumping heads on desks or lockers
- • Accidental collisions between students
🚌 Transportation
- • Bus accidents or sudden stops
- • Bike accidents near school
- • Drop-off/pick-up area incidents
- • Falls getting on/off buses
Recognizing Concussion Signs & Symptoms
Teachers play a crucial role in identifying potential concussions. Symptoms can appear immediately or develop over hours or days. Here's what to watch for:
🤕 Physical Symptoms
- • Headache or pressure in head
- • Nausea or vomiting
- • Balance problems or dizziness
- • Visual disturbances (blurry or double vision)
- • Sensitivity to light or noise
- • Feeling sluggish or foggy
- • Fatigue or drowsiness
- • Numbness or tingling
🧠 Cognitive Symptoms
- • Difficulty concentrating
- • Confusion or disorientation
- • Memory problems (especially recent events)
- • Feeling mentally foggy
- • Difficulty remembering instructions
- • Slowed processing speed
- • Difficulty with multi-tasking
- • Repeating questions
😢 Emotional/Behavioral Symptoms
- • Irritability or mood changes
- • Sadness or crying more easily
- • Nervousness or anxiety
- • Increased emotional reactions
- • Personality changes
- • Inappropriate emotions
- • Less interest in favorite activities
- • More impulsive behavior
😴 Sleep Disturbances
- • Sleeping more than usual
- • Sleeping less than usual
- • Trouble falling asleep
- • Drowsiness during class
- • Changes in sleep patterns
- • Unusual tiredness
What Teachers Should Do If They Suspect a Concussion
Remove from Activity Immediately
If a student shows any signs of a concussion after a head injury, remove them from play or physical activity immediately. Never allow a child to "tough it out" or continue participating.
Notify School Nurse & Parents
Contact the school nurse immediately and inform parents/guardians about the incident. Document:
- • Time and date of injury
- • How the injury occurred
- • Symptoms observed
- • Any witnessed loss of consciousness
Do Not Leave Student Alone
Keep the student under observation. Symptoms can worsen quickly, and the student should not be left unsupervised. Monitor for any changes in condition or development of new symptoms.
Recommend Medical Evaluation
Strongly encourage parents to have the student evaluated by a healthcare provider experienced in concussion management. The student should not return to school activities without medical clearance.
Document Everything
Keep detailed records of the injury, symptoms, actions taken, and communications with parents and medical professionals. This documentation is essential for appropriate follow-up care and return-to-learn protocols.
🚨 Call 911 If:
- • Student loses consciousness
- • Severe or worsening headache
- • Repeated vomiting
- • Seizures or convulsions
- • Slurred speech
- • Increasing confusion or disorientation
- • Weakness, numbness, or decreased coordination
- • One pupil larger than the other
- • Unusual behavior or combativeness
Return-to-Learn: Supporting Students After Concussion
Students recovering from a concussion need special academic accommodations. The return-to-learn process should be gradual and individualized.
Phase 1: Complete Rest
Initially, students may need to stay home from school for complete cognitive and physical rest:
- • No school attendance
- • Limited screen time (no computers, phones, TV)
- • No reading or homework
- • Quiet, restful environment
- • Duration varies (typically 1-3 days)
Phase 2: Gradual Return to School
When symptoms begin to improve, students can start returning with modifications:
- • Shortened school days (half days initially)
- • Reduced workload
- • Extended time for assignments
- • Modified testing schedules
- • Frequent breaks during class
- • Excused from non-essential activities
Phase 3: Progressive Increase in Activity
As symptoms continue to improve, gradually increase academic demands:
- • Increase school day length
- • Add more classes gradually
- • Reduce accommodations as tolerated
- • Monitor for symptom return
- • Communication with medical provider
Phase 4: Full Return to School
Student returns to full academic schedule without symptoms:
- • Full school day
- • Regular coursework and testing
- • All accommodations removed
- • No symptoms during academic work
- • Clearance for return to physical activities/sports
Classroom Accommodations for Students with Concussions
📚 Academic Modifications
- ✓ Reduce homework load
- ✓ Break assignments into smaller chunks
- ✓ Provide written instructions
- ✓ Allow use of notes during tests
- ✓ Postpone standardized testing
- ✓ Eliminate non-essential work
- ✓ Provide preferential seating
⏰ Time Adjustments
- ✓ Extended time for tests/assignments
- ✓ Flexible deadlines
- ✓ Shortened class periods initially
- ✓ Late arrival or early dismissal
- ✓ Extra time between classes
- ✓ Breaks during long activities
🌟 Environmental Adjustments
- ✓ Reduce screen time (computers, tablets)
- ✓ Dim classroom lights if needed
- ✓ Minimize visual distractions
- ✓ Reduce background noise
- ✓ Allow sunglasses if light-sensitive
- ✓ Seat away from windows/bright lights
💬 Communication Strategies
- ✓ Repeat instructions as needed
- ✓ Check for understanding frequently
- ✓ Provide visual aids and reminders
- ✓ Use a buddy system for assignments
- ✓ Regular parent/teacher communication
- ✓ Written progress updates
Preventing Concussions in School
While not all concussions can be prevented, schools can implement strategies to reduce risk:
🏫 School Environment
- • Ensure playground equipment meets safety standards
- • Use appropriate impact-absorbing surfaces under equipment
- • Keep hallways and stairs clear of obstacles
- • Ensure adequate supervision during all activities
- • Maintain safe facilities (fix broken equipment promptly)
⚽ Sports Safety
- • Teach proper techniques for contact sports
- • Enforce rules that reduce head contact
- • Ensure proper-fitting protective equipment
- • Limit contact during practice sessions
- • Create a concussion management plan
- • Train coaches in concussion recognition
📚 Education & Training
- • Educate staff about concussion signs and symptoms
- • Train teachers on return-to-learn protocols
- • Teach students about brain health and safety
- • Provide resources to parents
- • Create a culture that prioritizes safety over competition
📋 Policies & Procedures
- • Implement formal concussion protocols
- • Require medical clearance before return to play
- • Document all head injuries
- • Establish communication systems between school, parents, and medical providers
- • Review and update policies regularly
Common Myths About Concussions
MYTH: You have to lose consciousness to have a concussion
FACT: Most concussions do NOT involve loss of consciousness. In fact, less than 10% of concussions result in passing out.
MYTH: Helmets prevent all concussions
FACT: While helmets are important for preventing skull fractures and serious brain injuries, they don't completely prevent concussions. The brain can still move inside the skull during impact.
MYTH: You should keep a concussed person awake
FACT: Rest, including sleep, is important for recovery. You don't need to keep someone awake after a concussion unless specifically instructed by a medical professional.
MYTH: Concussions aren't serious if symptoms are mild
FACT: All concussions are serious brain injuries. Even "mild" symptoms require proper medical evaluation and management. Returning to activity too soon can lead to prolonged recovery or more serious injury.
MYTH: A student can return to sports once symptoms resolve
FACT: Students need medical clearance AND a gradual return-to-play protocol. Even after symptoms resolve, the brain needs time to fully recover. Most protocols require a step-by-step progression over several days before full return.
Resources for Teachers & Schools
📝 Action Plans to Develop
- • School-wide concussion management protocol
- • Emergency response procedures for head injuries
- • Return-to-learn accommodation templates
- • Communication plan between school, parents, and healthcare providers
- • Staff training schedule and materials
👥 Key Stakeholders to Involve
- • School nurses and health professionals
- • Administrators and counselors
- • Teachers and coaches
- • Parents and guardians
- • Students (age-appropriate education)
- • Local healthcare providers
📚 Documentation to Maintain
- • Incident reports for all head injuries
- • Medical clearance forms
- • Accommodation plans and progress notes
- • Communication logs with parents/healthcare providers
- • Staff training records
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long does concussion recovery typically take?
Most students recover within 2-4 weeks, but recovery time varies significantly. Some students recover in days, while others may take months. Factors affecting recovery include age, concussion history, severity of injury, and how well the recovery is managed. Children and adolescents often take longer to recover than adults.
Q: Can a student do homework during concussion recovery?
Initially, students may need complete cognitive rest, which means no homework. As symptoms improve, homework can be gradually reintroduced with modifications (reduced load, extra time, broken into smaller segments). The key is not to exacerbate symptoms. If homework causes symptoms to worsen, the student needs more rest.
Q: What if a student's parents don't believe the injury is serious?
Document your observations and concerns thoroughly. Provide parents with educational materials about concussions. If you believe a student is at risk, involve school administration and the school nurse. In most states, students cannot return to sports without medical clearance, regardless of parent preferences.
Q: What if symptoms don't appear immediately after an injury?
Concussion symptoms can develop hours or even days after an injury. Continue monitoring any student who has experienced a head injury, even if they seem fine initially. Educate students to report new or worsening symptoms. Maintain communication with parents about monitoring for delayed symptoms.
Q: Are some students more at risk for prolonged recovery?
Yes. Risk factors for prolonged recovery include: history of previous concussions, learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety or depression, migraine history, and younger age. Students with these risk factors need especially careful monitoring and may require more comprehensive accommodation plans.
⚠️ Medical Disclaimer
This article provides general educational information about concussions and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Teachers and school personnel should follow their school's established protocols and work closely with healthcare providers. Any student suspected of having a concussion should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional. In case of emergency symptoms, call 911 immediately.