!

"#$ &' ()*+

!,-."/ 01/22' 34565
0"7$28#1$#4$#1
9,#1:,;$2< =,"#1< >"?@8A 0A.,,@-
B)) C"#:$2D,24 628E$
F,AGE8@@$' 96

F$H 9>IJ F$K"$-1LI#M"28$- 8# 9=>0 J1.@$18A-

6$/2 0"7$28#1$#4$#1 01/22H

I am writing to request, under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), information
regarding concussions and other injuries sustained by Montgomery County Public
Schools (MCPS) high school students while participating in MCPSs interscholastic
athletics program. As described in more detail below, I am requesting such data from
the following MCPS databases:

MCPS Student Accident Report Data;
MCPS Athletics Concussion Database; and
Athletic Trainer Data From 11 MCPS High Schools

I am also requesting copies of reports of injuries in the MCPS athletics program that you
have received from staff or that have been given to the Board of Education. I am also
requesting any reports to you or to the Board regarding MCPS students return-to-learn,
i.e., returning to full academic participation after a concussion.

Data on sports concussions and other injuries are likely also available in information
collected in MCPS high school students health charts by school nurses. Because school
nurses are employed by the Montgomery County Health and Human Services
Department (MoCo-HHS), I am requesting such information in a separate request from
MoCo-HHS.

Data from these and any other sources regarding concussions and other injuries will be
useful to you, the Board of Education, and Montgomery County Health officials in
discharging their responsibility to keep MCPS students safe.

School-sponsored athletics are probably furthest from a public school systems primary
mission of academic education, yet pose the greatest risk of personal injury to students.
Some athletics injuries, such as a concussion, can compromise a students ability to
participate in academic learning.

So it is important to review data about injuries in the MCPS Athletics program. As the
old adage in education goes, you measure what you treasure. Reviewing the injury
data that I have requested will show that you, the Board of Education, the County
(
Executive, and the County Council treasure students safety and their ability to
participate in academic education that MCPS provides.

In neighboring Howard County, since 2006 the Board of Education has received an
annual report on injuries in the athletics program.
1


The MCPS Student Accident Report Form appears to have been developed with an eye
toward insurance risk management rather than for athletic injuries from a public health
perspective. Going forward, I recommend that you and the Board consider using
software designed especially for tracking injuries in high school athletics.

1. Student Accident Reports

Background

MCPS Regulation EBH-RA requires MCPS staff to prepare a Student Accident Report
when a student sustains an injury in a school athletics program and requires the school
principal to submit the completed form to a risk management specialist at MCPSs
Employee and Retiree Service Center.
2


Also, MCPSs July 2013 Concussion Plan requires an athletics coach to prepare a Student
Accident Report whenever a concussion is suspected for a student participating in a
school athletics program.
3


The MCPS Student Accident Form (MCPS Form 525-2) requires injuries to be coded by
the activity in which they occurred, including Varsity and Junior Varsity sports as one
of the 6 possible activities.
4
The Student Accident Form also collects data about the
specific activity in which the injury occurred, e.g., football,
5
and about the nature of the
injury being reported.
6


*
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN*(*BP+B&QNC,O/24L=,"#1<L9/2<@/#4L>"?@8AL0A.,,@-LF$7,21L,DL
I#M"28$-L8#LC8:.L0A.,,@L07,21-L>2,:2/;L())PL()**

(
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN(*+*)BB(RN9=>0LF$:LS,2LF$7,218#:L01"4$#1LI#M"28$-

&
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN*TQTP**T)N9=>0L94LJ1.@$18ALU2/8#$2L>8@,1L>2,:2/;LD,2L**L,DL(TL
C8:.L0A.,,@-L0$$LI1$;L9L,#L7L& See MCPS Concussion Plan, p. 3, section (C)(2)(j).

+
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN(*+*)BR**N9=>0L01"4$#1LI#M"2<LF$7,21LS,2; The full list of
activity categories on the MCPS Student Accident Form are:
01 Elementary Physical Education 04 Secondary Physical Education
02 Elementary Noon Recess 05 Secondary Nonphysical Education
03 Elementary Nonrecess and Nonphysical Education 06 Varsity and Junior Varsity

T
The full list of specific activities on Form 525-2 is as follows. The list, however, does not include
lacrosse:
101 Archery 108 Dodge Ball 116 Muscleman 123 Soccer/Field-Ball 131 Vaulting Box
102 Badminton 109 Fencing 117 Parallel/Horizontal Bars 124 Softball 132 Volleyball
103 Balance Beam 110 Field Hockey 118 Physical Fitness/Calisthenics 125 Swimming 133 Weight Lifting
&

Request No. 1

Please provide a report of the number of injuries that have been documented in a Student
Accident Report form since July 1, 2013, breaking out the number of injuries in each of
the six possible activity codings. Attached and at the link at this footnote is Template 1-
A, which is an Excel spreadsheet that could be used to present the requested data.
7


For injuries coded as having occurred in high school Varsity or Junior Varsity athletics,
for each high school, please provide the number of such injuries by sport in which they
were sustained. Attached and at the link at this footnote is Template 1-B, which is an
Excel spreadsheet that could be used to present the requested data for each high school.
8


Please also report the injury information systemwide for all 25 high schools. Attached
and at the link at this footnote is Template 1-C and at this link is a spreadsheet that could
be used to present the requested data for all 25 MCPS high schools.
9


The MCPSs risk management specialist in MCPSs Employee and Retiree Service
Center who receives Student Accident Reports from MCPS principals informed me last
year that submitted Student Accident Forms are placed in a drawer without any data entry
into a database or further analysis by staff.

If no database has been established for data reported on the Student Accident Report, I
respectfully request that you and the Board of Education instruct MCPS staff to create
one and to generate the reports that I am requesting.

2. MCPS Athletics Concussion Database

Background


*)+ V/-$?/@@ *** S,,1?/@@ **Q F8#:-NF,7$- *(P 0O8#:- 134 Wrestling/
*)T V/-G$1?/@@ **& W,@D *() 0G/18#: IA$NF,@@$2 *(R U$##8-
*)P =.$$2@$/4$2 **+ !"#:@$ W<; *(* 0G88#: *(B U2/AG /#4 S8$@4
107 Dance 115 Kickball 122 Slides and Seesaw 130 Tumbling

6
The full list of injury codings on MCPS Form 525-2 is as follows:
37 Abrasion/Bruise 32 Burns/Scalds/Chemical 27 Dislocation 22 Internal Injuries 30 Puncture
23 Amputation 24 Concussion 33 Electrical Shock 29 Laceration/Cuts 36 Sprain/Strain/
25 Asphyxiation 21 Death 31 Foreign Body 34 Eye
38 Bite 28 Dental 26 Fracture/Chipped 35 Object in Mouth/Poisoning

R
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN((*)TQQRQNU$;7@/1$L*LJL9=>0L01"4$#1LJAA84$#1LF$7,21LI#M"28$-L
RL*L()*&L>2$-$#1

B
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN((*)P&)B+NU$;7@/1$L*LVL9=>0LJ1.@$18A-LI#M"2<LF$7,21-L()*&L
()*+

Q
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN((*)P&RT)NU$;7@/1$L*L=L9=>0L(TLC8:.L0A.,,@-LJ1.@$18A-LI#M"2<L
F$7,21L()*&L()*+
+
MCPSs July 2013 Concussion Plan requires a high schools athletic director to enter
information into an MCPS concussion database about each concussion sustained high
school sport into an MCPS concussion database.
10


Request No. 2

Please provide a report of the number of concussions in MCPS Athletics concussion
database, broken down by high school and by sport. Please also describe what other data
is collected. Attached and at the link in this footnote is Template 2-A, which is an Excel
spreadsheet that could be used to present the requested data for each high school.
11

Please also provide a report of sports concussions in all 25 high schools systemwide.
Attached and at the link at this footnote is Template 2-B, which is an Excel spreadsheet
that could be used to present the systemwide data requested.
12


3. Databases Maintained by Athletic Trainers at 11 MCPS High Schools

Background

This year, MCPS staff implemented a pilot program under which part-time athletic
trainers were provided at 11 of MCPSs 25 high schools. As healthcare professionals,
athletic trainers document important information regarding each injury for each student.
For example, for concussions, athletic trainers document:
when one is suspected;
whether one has been diagnosed;
when a student has been cleared to begin the five-stage gradual return to play
steps;
when a student has completed the gradual return-to-play steps;
when a student has completed return to learn, i.e., returned to full academic
participation without the need for accommodations that did not predate the
concussion; and
when a student has resumed his or her sport or whether he or she has discontinued
playing the sport.

An athletic trainer records injury-related data in a database that allows reports to be
generated about sports injuries occurring in the athletics program he or she covers. In
neighboring Howard County, the school system has a part-time athletic trainer at each of
its 12 high schools. From such a database, the Howard County Public School (HCPS)

*)
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN*TQTP**T)N9=>0L94LJ1.@$18ALU2/8#$2L>8@,1L>2,:2/;LD,2L**L,DL
(TLC8:.L0A.,,@-L0$$LI1$;L9L,#L7L& 0$$ 75 &5

**
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN((*(QRPP&NU$;7@/1$L(LJL9=>0LXXXLC8:.L0A.,,@LJ1.@$18A-L
=,#A"--8,#L6/1/?/-$LF$7,21L!"@<L()*&L!"#$L()*+

*(
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN((*(QB++(NU$;7@/1$L(LVL9=>0L(TLC8:.L0A.,,@-LJ1.@$18A-L
=,#A"--8,#L6/1/?/-$LF$7,21L!"@<L()*&L!"#$L()*+
T
Athletics Department generates such a report, attached and available at the link at this
footnote.
13


Request No. 3

Please provide a report from the database maintained by each athletic trainer assigned to
a MCPS high school this year that shows the number of injuries, by high school, by sport,
and by injury since July 1, 2013. Attached and at the link at this footnote is Template 3-
A, which is an Excel spreadsheet that could be used to present the requested data for each
high school.
14
Please provide the data for all 11 high schools with athletic trainers.
Attached and at the link at this footnote is Template 3-B, which is an Excel spreadsheet
that could be used to present the requested data for all 11 high schools.
15


If such reports have not previously been requested from the athletic trainers working for
MCPS or from the healthcare providers such as Medstar that have donated the athletic
trainers time, I request that you and Board of Education members request such reports
and that I be provided with a copy pursuant to this MPIA request.

4. Other Reports Regarding Athletics Injuries

Request No. 4

Please provide a copy of all copies of reports of injuries in the MCPS athletics program
that you have received from staff or that have been given to the Board of Education. For
example, at the January 28, 2014 Board of Education meeting to discuss the FY 2015
operating budget, Board member Mike Durso asked MCPS Chief Operating Officer
Larry Bowers about concussions data in MCPS athletics. Mr. Bowers replied that he
would look into the issue and provide that information.
16




*&
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN*(*BP+B&QNC,O/24L=,"#1<L9/2<@/#4L>"?@8AL0A.,,@-LF$7,21L,DL
I#M"28$-L8#LC8:.L0A.,,@L07,21-L>2,:2/;L())PL()** Between 2006 and 2012, the HCPS Athletics
Department reported sports injuries each year to the Howard County School Superintendent and Board of
Education at an open meeting in January of each year. The most recent report took place at the Howard
County BOEs meeting on January 23, 2014 . Yhttps://www.scribd.com/doc/213671627/HoCo-Md-BOE-
Agenda-01-23-14 ) Going forward, Supt. Starr should ask the MCPS Athletics Department make a similar
annual presentation to the Board of Education at an open meeting.

*+
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN((*(QBQ(&NU$;7@/1$L&LJL9=>0LJ1.@$18A-LI#M"2<LF$7,21L3/A.L
C8:.L0A.,,@LS2,;LJ1.@$18ALU2/8#$2L6/1/

*T
.117-HNNOOO5-A28?45A,;N4,AN((*(QQPQPNU$;7@/1$L&LVL9=>0LJ1.@$18A-LI#M"2<LF$7,21L**LC8:.L
0A.,,@LS2,;LJ1.@$18ALU2/8#$2L6/1/

*P
C$2$ 8- / @8#G 1, 1.$ 2$A,248#: ,D *N(BN()*+ ;$$18#:5
.117HNN;A7-;45-O/:815A,;N7@/<N)*(B()*+LTQR U.$ $ZA./#:$ ?$1O$$# 925 6"2-, /#4 925 V,-O$2-
@/-1- /?,"1 ( ;8#"1$- 8# 1.$ ()L;8#"1$ 2$A,248#: D,2 I1$; (5T' ?$1O$$# ;8#"1$- *RH&) 1, *BH*P5
P
I look forward to reviewing the information requested above.

Sincerely,

/s/

Tom Hearn