Reply to Academic Support for Kids with Concussions?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When my child received a concussion, I gave the school the doctor notes including an ACE (Acute Concussion Evaluation) Care Plan that described her need to stay home for now, then resume 1/2 days after she is symptom free.  Many hours of instructional time has been lost but all the school cares about is the paperwork with the "Return to Play" protocol.  Seriously?  My child is not being educated nor is anyone helping to track and collect missing assignments but they are hounding me about the protocol of how to return to school sports?

It seems that our school is well educated on the dangers of returning kids to sports, but fall short on having a clear and concise protocol on how to help kids academically that are experiencing a long term medical condition that interferes with their ability to attend school.  Does MCPS have a protocol on how to academically support kids with concussions?  Are there services my child should be receiving? [/quote]

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/schooling/instruction/index.aspx[/quote]

A child recuperating from a significant concussion isn't only supposed to avoid physical activity, they're also supposed to avoid/limit cognitive activity. Instructional time at home is completely contrary to that.[/quote]

There is a reduction in hours when a student is enrolled.  The core classes - English, math, science and history - are limited to 1.5 hours each a week for a total of 6 hours.  Yes, the assumption is that students do work outside of the 6 hours, but work load may also be reduced to fit the student's individual case.  For example, a student can be exempted from certain tasks.  However, keep in mind that when instruction is "abbreviated," final exams are often more challenging.

I'd like to know if the doctor stated that the child should receive NO instruction while recuperating before transitioning back.  If so, then the concussion is very severe and the school should determine how to best proceed at that point.[/quote]

This information is somewhat incorrect.  The student is not limited to 6 hours a week of instruction -- that is the minimum amount of instruction the school must provided.  If the child needs more instruction, then the school system must provide more.  It is true that workload can be abbreviated.  How a child will do on the final exam depends on the amount of repetition a child needs.  You should know that final exams can be waived, or administered in smaller sections.  It is likely that the school will tell you neither of those options are possible, but if you have a doctor's note supporting the need to limit cognitive activity and/or have more frequent breaks, then the school MUST accommodate you, even if the test is a secure exam.  In MCPS, my MS student was excused from at least one semester final (Algebra, I think) and had another (French) administered over two days, with additional breaks.

Also, under the law, the school system MUST give you access to all your classes.  Disabled kids (and a concussion is a disability until you recover) have a right to the same kind of access to coursework as non-disabled kids, and if your student is disabled and in a gifted or accelerated program, they have a right to continue to access that as well.  The 4 core classes are not some kind of maximum the school is obliged to provide.  If your chid is taking a course load that includes more than the 4 core classes, and you want to continue that, then the school system must find a way to accommodate you.  Yes, it's true that the "Interim Instructional Services" rarely have teachers that can support outside those 4 core classes, but if your child wants to continue a language, for example, then the school must find a way to accommodate by giving the work and tests, having the teacher re-teach your child if necessary, etc.  (It's a separate and different question if carrying an extra class like French is good for the concussion recovery and/or whether doing a year of a language while recovering from concussion creates a shaky foundation for the future classes, but those are issues for YOU to decide, not the school.   If you want to continue the class, it is your student's right to continue.)[/quote]

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