Latin School of Chicago

standard for testing ocular movement, and the largest body of research exists to indicate that it works to detect concussions, according to Nowinski. e test is timed, and students read a series of numbers arranged in increasingly dicult arrays. Administered by the athletic trainer or the school nurses, the test is given two times in a row for each student. "Younger students typically take ve minutes, and older students, two to three minutes," said Yacu. With 1,165 students enrolled at Latin, "It's a big-time commitment," she acknowledged. If a student suers what is suspected to be a concussion, nurses, trainers and coaches can administer the King-Devick test immediately using their tablets. If a student's time is slower than her baseline score, the student is taken out of play and the protocol kicks in. Fast diagnosis is key according to Yacu, with delayed symptoms being more the norm, averaging 17 hours after the incident. e King-Devick test helps in that regard and especially with students who insist they are ne and want to return to their activity, game or match immediately. Investing in the Future e task force was disbanded in May of 2017, but a concussion committee was created in its place to monitor the eectiveness of the new policy and protocols. Preliminary feedback from parents, teachers, nurses and athletic sta is very positive. In particular, the concussion recommendation checklist has proved to be very helpful for doctors who recommend limiting the activities of students. "e nurses have heard that doctors are glad Latin is taking the lead on this and taking concussions so seriously," said Johnson. Johnson expects that the policy will be tweaked over time to best help students, who after all, are everyone's raison d'être. Jill Yacu reiterated this notion. "When a student gets a concussion, we are all on the same team. We're there for their medical/health needs. e teachers are there to give academic accommodations. e counselors are there [to help with emotional issues], especially with prolonged absences and missed activities. And administration is involved in helping coordinate all of this," she said. "We're all invested." Communication Flow Chart This chart lists the parties involved in communicating information regarding activites, academics and athletics if a student has been diagnosed with a concussion. REGULAR COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENT, PARENTS, TEACHERS AND NURSES CASE MANAGER - DETERMINED (LR TEACHER OR DEAN OR HOMEROOM TEACHER) PARENTS NURSES DIVISION DIRECTORS ATHLETIC DIRECTORS/ TRAINERS LEARNING RESOURCE SPECIALS TEACHERS COUNSELORS DEAN OR HOMEROOM TEACHER "I don't think most people understand the severity of a concussion. It's a traumatic brain injury. Even something as simple as reading and analyzing a book can be too taxing." – Stephen Wright, upper school learning specialist L M » W 23

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