Bills target concussion ?guidelines in schools

PROVIDENCE – The House and Senate have approved separate measures to require the R.I. Department of Education to work with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League to develop guidelines on educating coaches, student athletes and parents about the risks of head injury and concussions in sports.
The bills – H-7036Aaa and S-2034Aaa – would require all coaches, trainers and volunteers involved in school sports to complete a training course on concussions and other traumatic brain injuries.
According to a news release, legislators introduced the bills after learning about 17-year-old Dylan Mello, now a Portsmouth High School senior, who suffered three misdiagnosed concussions while playing hockey in 2008. Mello has since been plagued with migraines, disorientation and mental and physical exhaustion. He testified for the bills in committee.
The bill further requires that athletes who suffer concussions or head injuries be immediately removed from play and not return until they receive written clearance from a licensed physician and their parents or guardians sign an information sheet about concussions and head injuries.
The bills must now be exchanged by the chambers before becoming law. &#8226