Concussions & Head Injuries

Concussions and head injuries are commonly reported injuries in children and adolescents and can have serious consequences if not managed properly. The School has partnered with New York University Langone Health (NYULH) to develop a Concussion Management Policy to support the proper academic management of concussions.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body. This sudden movement can cause the brain to move in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells. It is important to recognize that even what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious. Most concussions occur without loss of consciousness and some students may not experience and/or report symptoms until hours or days after the injury.

Concussions are serious and potentially life threatening. Medical management of concussions is evolving and we aim to safely return students to academics after injury. To accomplish this, we have established a policy that aids in the return to academics’ procedures after sustaining a concussion. This policy will be reviewed by the Ethical Culture Fieldston School Concussion Management Team and the New York University Langone Health Concussion Management Team on an annual basis.

Guidelines from the following national and international medical organizations served as resources:

CDC Heads UP/U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, National Center for Injury Prevention & Control March 9, 2021
SCAT5 Br J Sports Med: first published as 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097506SCAT5 on 26 April 2017
NYSED Guidelines for Concussion Management in Schools 2018, NY State Department of Health
“A School Administrator’s Guide to Academic Concussion Management.” Nationwide Children’s Hospital. June 2019

Return to Sports

Please note that the Return to Sports Concussion Management Policy varies slightly from the Return to Academics policy displayed on this page. The Return to Sports Policy is administered through the Athletic Department's Athletic Trainer's Office and is available here.

ECFS Concussion Policy 2021-2022 Final.pdf

Policy and Procedures for Concussion Management

ECFS Concussion Accomodation Form final.pdf

Concussion Accommodation Form

ECFS Symptom Tracking Form final.pdf

Concussion Symptom Tracking Form

ECFS Physician Concussion Return to School Form final.pdf

Physician Concussion Return to School Form

ECFS Parents Concussion Recovery Guide final.pdf

Parent/Guardian Concussion Recovery Guide

ECFS Workflow Map Final.pdf

Concussion Management Workflow Map

Concussion Management and Awareness Act "CMAA"

On November 22, 2022, Governor Hochul signed into law Bill S973, which amends the Education Law by requiring private schools to abide by the mandates of the Concussion Management and Awareness Act (“CMAA”) of 2011. Under the new law, New York private schools must comply with the same concussion management protocols and standards that public schools have followed for the past decade.

Broadly speaking, the CMAA imposes several key requirements.

First, schools must provide a course of instruction on concussions and appropriate responses to suspected concussions. This course of instruction must be taken every two years by all school coaches, physical education teachers, nurses, and athletic trainers. The course must detail certain topics, such as the definition of a “concussion”, the various signs and symptoms associated with mild traumatic brain injuries, and the process for returning to activities following a concussion.
Second, schools must provide information regarding concussions on any parent/guardian consent form which is required for a student's participation in interscholastic sports. The consent form, like the course of instruction, must define a “concussion,” detail the signs and symptoms of these injuries and provide guidelines for returning to activities following a concussion.
Third, the CMAA imposes a rule that a student must be immediately removed from any further athletic activity when it is believed (s)he sustained a concussion. Even where the school has doubts as to whether a concussion was sustained, it must err on the side of caution and immediately pull the student from the activity. Further, students suspected to have sustained a concussion must not return to any athletic events until they have seen a physician, been cleared by that physician, and remained symptom-free for at least 24 hours. Lastly, following a student's concussion, the school must adhere to the recommendations of the physician with regard to the reintegration of the student back into the classroom and athletic activities.

Signs and Symptoms of a Concussion

Additional Concussion Information

ECFS Return-to-Learn Concussion Policy made in partnership with

ECFS Return-to-Play Concussion Policy made in partnership with

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