Schools & Sports Organizations
School and sports staff play a vital role in creating a culture that values safety and open communication, encourages youth to report concussion symptoms, and supports youth throughout the process of recovery.
Passed in 2010 and updated in 2016, Oklahoma's concussion law (70 O.S. § 24-155) requires governing boards of public school districts and youth sports organizations to develop policies on concussion education, prevention, and management.
Required policy tenets include:
- Annual dissemination of concussion fact sheets to youth athletes and parents/guardians
- Annual completion of fact sheet acknowledgment forms by athletes and guardians
- Annual concussion training by game and team officials
- Removal of an athlete from play upon a suspected concussion
- No same day return to play after a suspected concussion
- Written clearance to return to play after evaluation from a licensed health care provider
- Setting penalties for game and team officials for failure to remove an athlete from play as directed
Concussion Policy Evaluation Summary Report
Policy Guides
Resources
Required Training
Oklahoma state law requires all game officials and team officials (e.g., coaches, assistant coaches, managers) to complete annual concussion training. Records of completed trainings must be maintained and must be readily available upon request. The CDC and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) offer free online concussion trainings. Trainings from other organizations may be substituted to meet the requirements of the law, but the content of the training must be comparable to that offered by CDC and NFHS.
CDC Training for Coaches and Officials: CDC HEADS UP to Youth Sports Online Training
NFHS Training for Coaches and Officials: Concussion in Sports Online Training
Contact Information
Mailing Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Injury Prevention Service
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave., Suite 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
Physical Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Injury Prevention Service
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
Telephone: (405) 426-8440
Fax: (405) 900-7588
Email: concussion@health.ok.gov
