San Mateo Union High School District prioritizes player safety, and there are five key elements to the San Mateo Union High School District’s comprehensive concussion prevention and care program. These include Immediate Removal and Parent Notification, meaning that if a player is suspected of sustaining an injury to the head, they are immediately removed from the field.

ImPACT, a computerized test that allows the district to see the cognitive abilities of students before and after an injury to the head, and compare how well they did the second time to the first, and an Athletic Trainer will be able to recognize if the student has a concussion based off of test scores, symptoms, balance, behavior, mechanism of injury, etc.

Full Time Athletic Trainers and Sideline Procedures, employing full time Athletic Trainers, knowledgeable and experienced professionals who make it their priority to keep players safe and healthy.

Five Step Reintegration Once Family Physician Gives Clearance, Once a student’s physician allows them to return to play, the District implements a five step phased re-integration. The steps include: light exercise, to running in the gym or on field with no helmet and thus no contact, to light contact, to full contact, to being eligible for competition.

And finally, Time for Brain to Rest Both Physically and Mentally. Students with concussions are provided slow integration back into academics through, for example, extended time to take tests and complete homework, time for the District nurse or a school health aide to address headaches, and the option to attend school for only half days.