Parkland Embraces new Rules to Reduce Concussions

Getting your “bell rung” during an athletic event has never been a pleasant experience … if you can remember it.

But today an athlete in the can count on Gov. Tom Corbett, state Sen. Pat Browne of Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties and Athletic Director Jeff Geisel  to take some of the “ringing” out of concussions.

On Nov. 9, Corbett signed Senate Bill 200, a measure introduced by Browne to increase awareness and prevention of traumatic head injuries among the state’s scholastic athletes.

At Parkland, the measures are already being taken, Geisel said. In fact, the guidelines in the bill are already in place for .

“This law is really not going to change anything other than additional recording.” Geisel said. “We have paid certified trainers at all events and physicians at football games.“

Under the Safety in Youth Sports Act, students showing symptoms of a concussion can be sidelined by officials, coaches, athletic trainers,  licensed physicians, licensed therapists or  others and barred from competition or practice until cleared by a medical professional.

“There is no reason for a young person to put their life and future in jeopardy,”  Browne said in a news release. “We want to encourage all students to be active, but they must be smart about it and this legislation will provide important safeguards.“

The new law includes student participating in interscholastic activities, athletic competitions associated with a school entity and sports activities sponsored by clubs and school-affiliated organizations.

Among the requirements are penalties for coaches who don’t pull players who appear to have brain trauma, athletes and their parents to review information on the risks of brain injuries, and training of coaches in a program certified by the Center for Disease Control or the National Federation of State High School Associations.

“There’s been a big splash in the media about concussions,” Geisel said. “Today, that information spreads a lot faster. A lot of it is driven by money -- the equipment and helmet manufacturers.“

But Browne was more cautious, saying that in the past athletes were told to shake off instances when their “bell was rung”  and to reenter the game.

“We now know that severe and repeated concussive injuries dramatically impact the brain and too many players are paying a heavy price for those injuries now,’’ Browne said in a release. “In some cases, athletes‘ careers -- and even their lives -- were cut short by the intensity and cumulative impact of those injuries.”