Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/189657
PHOTO BY JAMES QUIGG, DAILY PRESS, VVDAILYPRESS.COM Educators are not medical experts, says Tyrone Brown. "You send kids to the doctor, that's my bottom line." athletic trainer during an exam that clears students for eligibility. A player may be asked to count backwards, stand on one foot or perform other skills to assess cognitive and reaction levels. A baseline test administered by Jake's physician determined that he had a concussion, says his mother, Trista Forgy, a teacher at Strawberry Elementary School in Santa Rosa and president of the Bennett Valley Teachers Association. "He had a perfect score during his physical, but after the concussion he couldn't recite the months of the year backward or balance on one foot. It was shocking. We were blown away that he couldn't do these things." Baseline tests are not yet mandated by the Collegiate Interscholastic Federation for high school athletes, although some districts require them. Santa Rosa City School District, where Jake attends school, required athletes to undergo baseline testing this year. However, the Press Democrat reported that the testing hasn't happened due to snags in hiring trainers to administer the tests and monitor students. Online baseline tests are now required by the NCAA for college sports teams. "They are very helpful," says Kim Sutton, head coach for women's soccer at CSU Chico and a California Faculty Association member. "The tests give feedback on reaction time, and when students retake them, we know how severe a concussion is. We make students retake the test repeatedly until it shows they are able to play. You can't base your decision on what an athlete tells you, because they are not honest." Baseline testing can't determine if students have had concussions in different schools. Sutton recalls a freshman who did not share information that she had one or more concussions before arriving at Chico. "She displayed signs and symptoms of a concussion after a morning training session. On some days she couldn't focus. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT BUSCHMAN Educator 10 Oct 2013 v2.1 int.indd 15 Baseline tests are not yet mandated for high school athletes, although some districts require them "They are very helpful to see how severe a concussion is," says Kim Sutton. "You can't base your decision on what an athlete tells you, because they are not honest." She had severe headaches most of the time. She was nauseous, had physical discomfort, memory issues, and on some days was extremely depressed. Once we learned she had had multiple concussions, she saw a specialist. The doctor said she could not play contact sports ever again, because of the risk of injury. The student finished her freshman year and then returned home to seek medical care. She was only 18. It was heartbreaking." OCTOBER 201 3 www.cta.org 15 10/7/13 9:38 PM