Ysleta ISD looks to prevent concussions with online program
Ysleta ISD’s athletic trainers are asking the board for money. They want to beef up how the district tracks concussions and athletic injuries.
These athletic trainers want to track when a student gets a concussion and how many students are getting them. That way they can watch and avoid the situations that lead to these dangerous injuries.
YISD high school football players sustained 84 concussions last school year. A concussion is the movement of the brain inside the skull, causing bleeding and injury. YISD coaches want to monitor players who’ve sustained them in the past.
“With this system, we can keep a tally of how many concussions and athlete has sustained, not just in the current athletic ye but in the athletic years prior to this point,” said Casey Rangel, athletic trainer of Hanks High. “This way we have a longitudinal set of data to determine whether or not it is safe for an athlete to continue on or whether or they need to sit out from activity to protect their cognitive function.”
At a board workshop, YISD’s athletic trainers are asking for an investment in an online program called Rank One Sports. It helps coaches track injuries. Right now each of YISD’s high schools is using the program in some capacity, but the trainers say they need more. Namely, they want the program in middle schools, WiFi in the field houses so coaches can log on, and iPads for coaches out on the field.”
“We can pull up diagnostic tools like impact tests, scat testing, to make sure an athlete is actually concussed,” Rangel said.
The goal is to go completely digital, allowing parents to also use the site to send in permission slips and physicals. The group is working on getting the board a dollar figure for how much they need. They hope to do that by next week, and if the board approves, getting the program in schools by next year.
