Kutztown School District hosts “Concussion 2015: The Fragile Brain” on Sept. 1 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Kutztown Middle School Commons.
The program is the district’s continuation of last year’s “Brain Drain”. Dr. Kohl, Kutztown School District athletic team physician, and three of district employees who have suffered a concussion will be speaking.
“In the last three years we have had over 100 concussions in the district,” said Brenda K. Loeb, Kutztown’s school nurse. “Most people believe it’s from PIAA sports, but actually approximately one half of the cases happened outside of school sports. For that reason the district implemented a Concussion Program K – 12 to cover all students.”
This program is open to anyone. Doors will open at 6 p.m.
“The purpose of the event is to continue educating the school district and the Kutztown community about head injuries and concussions and the acute and chronic effects on education that may affect daily activities of living,” said Loeb. “I hope everyone learns how important it is to take head injuries seriously. Just because someone has a head injury, it does not mean they have a concussion, but it’s better to have the situation evaluated and rule it out.”
If it is determined there is a concussion, Loeb said the school will provide accommodations that have been recommended by the child’s physician. That paperwork can be found on the school district website under the heading of Health Services, she said.
“Over the years I have observed that students who rest their brains after the initial injury will heal faster than those students that come right back to school without accommodations in place. On Sept. 1, we will have a panel of three educators in the district that have had recent concussions and they will be sharing their stories,” she said.
Guest speakers for the event include KASD staff who have had a concussion; Barry DeWitt, Speech And Language Pathologist And Clinician; Kristen Haring, middle school reading specialist; and Melanie Hartman, elementary vocal music teacher.
In addition, Dr. Kohl, the athletic physician for Kutztown, will speak and share his experience in treating head injuries, she said.
“It’s so important to be sure that for two weeks after the initial injury there is not another injury to the brain. Research has shown that this second event may cause permanent brain damage,” said Loeb.
Dr. Kohl will discuss the anatomy of the brain, concussion symptoms, treatment and prevention. In addition, updated information on Impact Testing will be presented. Also updated school district specific statistics regarding concussions will be presented.