McGuinty government introduces concussion legislation aimed at student athletes
Posted March 6, 2012 5:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The provincial government introduced a new piece of legislation Tuesday aimed at protecting student athletes from the potentially devastating effects of concussions.
“Everyone – students, parents, teachers, coaches and volunteers – has a role to play to help prevent and manage concussions. To ensure our students succeed, we all need to be aware of how to prevent and identify a possible concussion,” said Minister of Education Laura Broten.
The Education Amendment Act (Concussions) will help ensure that no student returns to play or school before they are fully recovered.
It will provide parents, teachers and school staff with educational resources about concussions, in addition to launching an awareness campaign outside of schools. The act will also establish a provincial committee to study concussion prevention, identification and management in schools.
Ontario has seen a spike in people being treated for concussions. In 2010-2011, 19,880 provincial residents visited an emergency room with concussions.
Of course the issue of concussions has been in the spotlight recently. Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby has been sidelined with concussions symptoms since Dec. 5. Before that, he missed more than 10 months following a pair of hits to the head in January 2011. On a positive note, Crosby was cleared for contact on Wednesday.
For information on attending a concussion information session, click here.
