[San Mateo County] More could be done to mitigate concussion

The San Mateo County civil grand jury last week expressed concern that efforts to curtail dangerous concussions during high school sports in area schools remain “highly variable” and that, at some schools, much more can be done to protect student-athletes.

The report notes that Cabrillo Unified School District employs a certified athletic trainer, who is regularly available at games. Certified trainers are prepared to treat the early stages of concussion, an important safety precaution. The La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District does not have its own trainer, though the risk is mitigated somewhat because the South Coast school system has far fewer athletes in the riskiest sports.

The report notes that there is no effort to collect concussion data across schools and that such data could be helpful in assessing the efficacy of individual programs.

August 14, 2019

Half Moon Bay Review

From staff reports