Hart District officials discussed the vetting and training process for coaches, as well as how the newest district website, the “Athletic Training Room,” is designed to help athletes and their parents, at the William S. Hart Union High School District board meeting this week.
The presentation included information about injury protocols for athletes, as well as how local junior highs and high schools promote outreach to educate students and parents.
“These are probably some things you’re not aware happen day-to-day in the athletic program, especially in football,” said Greg Lee, director of human resources and equity services. Lee added that there is a series of steps involved in bringing a player back onto the field after that student gets hurt, especially if it involves a head injury.
“Currently, there is no national legislation requiring a traumatic head injury protocol; however, all states have some level of regulation in place,” Lee said in his presentation to the board.
Lee went on to review the various procedures the school takes in caring for a concussion, as well as other injuries, and detailed how their programs handle an athlete returning to the field.
Also unveiled Wednesday was a website that compiles information gained by the district since 2016, the year the Hart District and Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital began exploring opportunities to raise awareness of athletic injury prevention, treatment and recovery. And of particular concern for the creators of the website, known as “The Athletic Training Room,” was spreading more awareness about traumatic brain injuries, or concussions.
“We were still having trouble educating parents and student-athletes on things, such as concussions,” said Thomas DiPrima, a physical therapist at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital who helped design the website. “So, someone had the great idea of coming up with a website.”
The website is designed to allow students and parents to know the symptoms of concussions, give them an easily navigable platform to look up a school’s athletic trainer, as well as the proper protocols people should follow in the event of an injury.
Although Valencia High School’s content on their portion of the site is the most expansive of all the high schools, Kullen Welch, the Hart High School vice principal who led the presentation, said athletic trainers from across the schools will be adding more information as the website continues to grow.
“At league games in town, there are trainers on-site,” Welch said, adding that trainers already help students on the field, regardless of their school, and now parents will be able to see what processes and treatments are happening on the field if their child receives a concussion.
The site also includes concussion clearance forms and the steps parents/students can take to get back on the field after a doctor clears them. There’s also nutrition and hydration information compiled for the student-athletes of the Santa Clarita Valley.
For more information about the website, visit https://sites.google.com/view/the-athletic-training-room/home.
