Keep Your Child Safe While Playing School Sports

It’s important to keep your child safe while playing school sports. Many schools around the country are very concerned about concussions.

“A concussion is what we call a whiplash of the brain,” said Ibrahim Mashhour, director of student services, physical education and athletics at Fordson High School.

The district last year worked with Oakwood Hospital and the Detroit Lions to develop a policy and educational material dealing with concussions, he said.

Last year, Dearborn Schools had five reports of sports-related concussions — two from soccer and one each from football, volleyball and wrestling, he said.

This year the district sent home notes to parents at all grade levels explaining what a concussion is, and telling them what signs to watch for after a child hits his head.

Often concussion symptoms do not develop until hours, or even days, after an incident, Mashhour said.

The district also has replaced all of its football helmets that were more than 10 years old to try to reduce the chance of concussions.

“There are more concussions from soccer than in football,” Mashhour noted, referring to a national trend.

Trustee James Schoolmaster asked why soccer players then do not wear helmets. Hockey players now wear helmets, which was unheard of when he was a kid, he said.

Trustee Mary Lane asked if soccer players would even be allowed to wear helmets, which administrators said they would have to check into.

Typically, doctors order patients to rest for 10 to 14 days after experiencing a concussion, taking a break from everything from jogging to too much screen time, Mashhour said.

A single concussion does not do any permanent brain damage, but multiple concussions can lead to problems down the road, he said.

There are many ways to keep your child safe while playing school sports.

Continue reading School leaders discuss concussions.