For any policy initiative to be successful, there needs to be a good answer to the question of why the policy is being developed. In the case of advocating for development of an Immediate Temporary Accommodation Plan (ITAP) for students returning to school after a concussion, the answer to “Why are we doing this?” is easy: brain injuries are extremely serious, and if we don’t provide academic, behavioral, and social accommodation, to students with concussions returning to school their injury can have extremely detrimental long-term effects for the student.
As a society, we prioritize helping our children above almost everything else. We feel a responsibility to our kids that motivates us to make sure we do what will help them grow up to be healthy, well-educated, compassionate, and tolerant adults. While these feelings are especially true for our children, we also generally understand that we need to help all children. The Golden Rule has never been more relevant.
The development of brain injury policy started slowly. In the 1990’s, and in some cases before that, most states passed bicycle helmet laws for children. Between 2009 and 2014, all states passed their version of Return to Play laws for young athletes with concussions. Both examples illustrate the consensus that protecting our kids from brain injury is a national priority.
I have been involved with the development of brain injury policy for over twenty years and I’ve seen our country evolve from a society where brain injuries were rarely considered to one where brain injuries are recognized as serious and something to be prevented whenever possible. I’ve also been working in this area long enough to see what’s coming next.
Accommodation for students with concussions returning to school is the next big thing, and Texas can be a national leader in this area. A few states, such as Oregon, have developed good Return to School (RTS) laws, and all states should do the same. Because this is an emerging area of policy, and because Texas is a recognized leader in social policy development, Texas can create its own RTS policy designed to fit its diverse geographic and social landscape. In doing so, Texas will create model legislation that will undoubtedly be followed by other states.
The time for action, and state leadership, is now.
