That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), as well as several other distinguished organizations encourage school professionals to use new the “Heads Up to Schools: Know Your Concussion ABCs” materials. CDC created this flexible set of materials, including fact sheets, a checklist, a poster, and a magnet, to help school professionals identify and respond to concussions in an array of school settings.
How Can these Materials be Used?
School nurses can keep these materials in their office and also present them to other school staff during staff meetings. The signs and symptoms checklist is particularly useful in helping to monitor a student with a head injury. The Fact Sheet for Parents should be sent home with a student who has a head injury, so that mom and dad know which symptoms to look out for at home. Other school professionals can use the Fact Sheet for Teachers, Counselors, and School Professionals as a quick reference guide in the classroom. The magnet and poster can be placed in any number of locations, from a school filing cabinet to the refrigerator in the staff lounge. The laminated card can be placed in first aid kits or taken on field trips.
Because children and adolescents are at greatest risk of concussion—and we know that you are dedicated to their safety as well as their education—CDC and the NFHS urge you to use and promote the “Heads Up to Schools” materials with your member schools in your state.
To download these materials, please visit: www.cdc.gov/concussion. The “Heads Up to Schools: Know Your Concussion ABC’s” materials are part of CDC’s Heads Up series of initiatives for different audiences. For great resources specifically designed for Youth Sports and High School Coaches, please also visit: www.cdc.gov/headsup.
