School District Establishes Concussion Management Team

A Concussion Management Team has been established in the Kings Park Central School District that will be in line with newly written legislation that establishes rules and guidelines for athletes that have signs or symptoms of a concussion.

The Concussion Management Awareness Act passed the New York State Senate in June. The legislation sponsored by Sen. Kemp Hannon, R- Garden City, Chairman of the Senate Health Committee and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, directs the State Health and Education Departments to adopt regulations for the treating and monitoring of students who have suffered head injuries.

The bill establishes minimum guidelines regarding removal of play, return to play and physician clearance.

 The concussion management teams will identify students who have suffered a concussion or symptoms of concussion as well as help to reduce the risk of long-term complications in athletes who have been injured.

Former Kings Park’s Athletic Director Ken Ferrazzi is thrilled about the concussion team and the legislation sitting on Governor Cuomo’s desk.

“This is a dream come true for Athletic Directors, it takes the guess work out of it,” said Ferrazzi. “Our Concussion Management Team consists of the athletic director, school nurse, our athletic trainer and the school district Chief Medical Officer for head injuries Dr. Haylee Queller,” said Ferrazzi.   “The biggest piece of this new protocol is that we’re more cautious than ever with regard to the return to play procedure,” he added.  

Ferrazzi says there are presently a number of tests that check response time such as eye coordination, cognitive function and balance, all checked by Queller. 

Kings Park student Michael Stein, 14, recently sustained a head injury after being hit by a baseball while playing for the Kings Park Knights.  His mother Michelle said she and her husband knew right away he had a concussion. 

“We took him to the emergency room and he didn’t remember being hit.  He remembers standing up at bat, he doesn’t remember the pitch,” said Stein.

Michael bounced back very quickly, according to his mom.

“He was asking to go back to baseball the next day. With these new guidelines, he was not allowed to,” Stein added that under no circumstance would she have allowed him to play anyway. 

The legislation, when signed into law, will become effective July 2012. The district, according to Ferrazzi, is already in full compliance.

“We are now light years ahead of where we used to be – this is really a great thing for our athletes,” said Ferrazzi.