Baltimore, MD - The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in conjunction with all 24 local school systems has declared the first full week of the 2010-11 fall season as Concussion Awareness Week.
During the week of September 6-11, 25,000 "Concussion Awareness" refrigerator magnets will be provided to families of football, boys' soccer and girls' soccer players at respective sporting events. An additional 25,000 magnets will be provided throughout the school year to parents of student-athletes that participate in wrestling, boy's and girl's basketball and boy's and girl's lacrosse.
Earlier this summer, schools were provided with clip board stickers for coaches of football, boy's soccer and girl's soccer to place on the back of clip boards, medical kits or other readily available surfaces.
In addition, handout fact sheets developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for athletes and parents and/or guardians will be provided along with Public Address Announcements for all sporting events.
For the 2010-11 school year, all 9,000 coaches in MPSSAA member schools will undergo concussion training. An online NFHS Concussion course which includes MPSSAA interpretations will be required for 87 percent of the coaches by their local school system while the remaining 13 percent will receive training through local medical affiliates.
Schools have been strongly encouraged to place emphasis on concussion awareness at all sporting contests during the week as well as throughout the year. The distribution of materials along with directing coaches, parents and fans to the new health and safety page on MPSSAA.org featuring a section on concussion education is designed to raise concussion awareness across the state.
Please continue to check back with MPSSAA.org for special concussion awareness week activities.