Colton Crawford/Delta Staff Writer

Concussions pose a threat to student athletes across the nation every year. With the fall sports season underway, Missouri Valley College is fortunate enough to have had only four concussions thus far.

Vince Fedorowich, Valley’s head athletic trainer, and his team of trainers conduct the first steps of the Return-To-Learn concussion policy. The athlete first has to undergo the SCAT5 program. This is a concussion awareness training tool that consists of memory assessments, cognitive screenings, neurological exams and balance tests.

Within 24 hours of the diagnosed concussion the Vice President of Academic Affairs will be notified along with Debbie Coleman who is the Director of Accessibility & Disabilities. Student athletes are given their own discretion when it comes to whether or not they think they can go to class. The school recommends 48-72 hours of rest which gives the athlete an excused absence from their classroom responsibilities.

“Since the new protocol came out, anytime an athlete hits their head or thinks they may have a concussion, they must go through this policy with the trainers, in hopes of avoiding neurological issues down the road,” Coleman said. “There are many examples of boxers and football players after years of competing who have issues now, because they were not properly treated when concussed.”

After 72 hours of time off from athletics and academics, athletes are usually tested again by the trainers and deemed either fit to make their way back into the classroom or not, solely based upon how bad the concussion was.

Missouri Valley College’s Return-To-Learn Concussion Policy puts the students athletes lives first. Giving these athletes time off to recover from a concussion will better their lives down the road