Mississippi § 37-24-5 - Concussion management and return to play policy; components.

§ 37-24-5. Concussion management and return to play policy; components.

Each local board of education, administration of a nonpublic school, and governing body of a charter school shall adopt and implement a concussion management and return to play policy that includes the following components: Parents or guardians shall receive and sign a copy of the concussion policy before the start of the regular school athletic event season. An athlete who reports or displays any symptoms or signs of a concussion in a practice or game setting shall be removed immediately from the practice or game. The athlete shall not be allowed to return to the practice or game for the remainder of the day regardless of whether the athlete appears or states that he or she is normal. The athlete shall be evaluated by a health care provider working within the provider’s scope of practice. If an athlete has sustained a concussion, the athlete shall be referred to a licensed physician, preferably one with experience in managing sports concussion injuries. The athlete who has been diagnosed with a concussion shall be returned to play only after full recovery and clearance by a health care provider. An athlete shall not return to a competitive game before demonstrating that he or she has no symptoms in a full supervised practice. Athletes shall not continue to practice or return to play while still having symptoms of a concussion.