Any student-athlete under treatment by a private physician must have written permission from his/her physician in order to return to active status in the sports program. The school physician has the final authority to determine the physical capability of a student to participate in a sport.
It is well known that participating in sports can be a highly rewarding experience.
However, there are certain risks an athlete must face while involved in competitive athletic situations. One of these risks is the potential for injury. While most injuries are minor and heal over time, one cannot overlook the seriousness of head injuries.
Head injuries may occur in a number of ways: Contact with another player, contact with the ground or other equipment or a sudden movement or rotation of the head without a force. A mild brain injury may produce various signs and symptoms, which include dizziness, headache, nausea, and blurry vision. A more serious trauma to the head may result in loss of memory and/or brain function. Other types of head injuries can cause small tears and result in bleeding in the brain, a sub dermal hematoma. If a player returns to competition too soon, he or she may also be in danger of second impact syndrome, in which a mild head injury can become potentially fatal. Head injuries in school interscholastic athletic programs have increased in numbers as the level of competition has risen. Fredonia Central School does have Head Injury Policy in place that can be accessed on line or you can pick up a copy in the District Office. Therefore, Fredonia has taken precautions to ensure the safety of all athletes:
The pre-participation examination health questionnaire screens all athletes for a history of their head injuries. Please give as much information as possible about any head injury that may have occurred in the past.
All coaches make certain that an athlete who has experienced a head injury is immediately brought to attention of parents and EMS personal.
Any athlete at any level, who suffers a head injury, is required to follow the Board of Education Concussion Policy guidelines before returning to play.
Although not required by the rules of all specific sports, it is recommended that all athletes consider wearing an athletic supporter and protective cup for all sports. While coaches will advise their players to wear an athletic supporter and protective cup, they will not physically check to see that the athlete is, in fact, wearing one. Since there is potential for serious injury without wearing this protection, it is imperative that all parents reinforce this safety concern and make certain that the athlete has these personal items of protection with him and wears them at all practices and contests.
Mouth guards are one of the most effective protective pieces of equipment we have to help prevent injury to the teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue and to cushion the blows so as to decrease the chances of jaw fractures, TMJ injuries and concussions. The American Dental Association estimates that mouth guards prevent approximately 20,000 injuries each year. An athlete is 60 times more likely to sustain damage to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouth guard. According to the National Institute of Dental Research 34% of high school basketball players suffer orofacial injuries. Soccer players are three times more likely to suffer dental injuries than football players are. Baseball players sustain facial injuries from miss-swung bats, fly balls and sliding collisions. In a 1989 study, among the women studied, basketball had the highest dental injury rate followed by soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, volleyball and softball. The cost over a lifetime of dental care as a result of these injuries can total over tens of thousands of dollars per injury. Mouth guard use protects the health of athletes and maintains their natural smile.
