CLARK COUNTY (KTNV) — We're just three weeks into this new school year, but a new concussion protocol for students in Nevada already has several parents reaching out to us expressing confusion over what these changes mean for their kids.
The updated policy took effect on July 1.
To help clear things up, I reached out to the school district to find out what you need to know for your child.
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"It is just kind of unclear to me what was going on," said parent Stacie Reed.
Stacie tells me it all started with her second-grader hitting his head on a pole at school.
"He had a pretty big knot on his head and so they had to send him home due to the protocol," Stacie said.
She says she took her son back to school the next day.
“He was complaining about symptoms again so they put him on concussion restriction,” she said.
But for Stacie, she'd never heard of the concussion restriction and wasn't aware of the new procedures.
And it wasn't just Stacie. Several other parents expressed their concerns to me over their confusion about the new law that was implemented July 1.
One mother sending me this text:
"We love love our school, we understand they are just implementing a CCSD policy, but it's not fair to them or kids."
Nevada's revised concussion protocol for K-12 students comes from Senate Bill 80 which was passed in the state's last Legislative Session in 2023.
So that I could understand the new changes, I contacted the Clark County School District. A spokesperson tells me they included the new concussion guidelines in their Back To School Guide provided to parents and guardians before this school year began.
They also have it on their website. We have also provided it in a PDF below:
On CCSD's website, you will also find information about concussion testing, which now includes assessments of cognitive function, balance, and symptoms for possibly injured students.
WATCH | Where to find the CCSD Concussion Protocol on their website
It also says a concussion nurse will be assigned to manage a student's concussion protocol cases and when a student will be cleared to return to class.
A CCSD spokesperson told us parents and guardians need to familiarize themselves with the new policy.
A statement to Channel 13 reads in part:
"Under the new law, students who have a head injury, such as a concussion, will be screened by following a Return to Learn protocol."
As for Stacie, she plans to take a close look at the new policy.
“If I would have known… I would have different discussions with him," she said.
Read the full statement from CCSD below:
During the 2023 Nevada Legislative Session, the Senate Committee on Education sponsored Senate Bill 80, which revised provisions relating to the prevention and treatment of injuries to the head. Under the new law, students who have a head injury, such as a concussion, will be screened by following a Return to Learn protocol.
Information on the changes required by state law was included in the Back to School Guide sent to all parents and guardians ahead of the 2024-2025 school year. You can click here to review the information on the Return to Learn/Return to Play protocols.
