Virginia Concussion Law

Statute (Virginia Code §22.1-271.5)

Virginia’s concussion law, the Student-Athlete Protection Act (SB 652), was passed unanimously by the General Assembly and was signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell on April 11, 2010.

The bill’s patron was Senator Ralph S. Northam who is a pediatric neurologist. The Act directs the Virginia Board of Education (BOE) to develop and distribute concussion management guidelines to local school divisions. In accordance with the BOE’s guidelines, each local school division shall develop policies and procedures regarding the identification and handling of suspected concussions in student-athletes.

The main provisions of the law are:
1) Student-athletes and parents shall review information on concussions annually and sign a statement
acknowledging receipt of such information

(2) A student-athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion shall be removed from play. A student-athlete who
has been removed from play shall not return to play that same day nor until evaluated by an appropriate licensed
health care provider

(3) Local school divisions may provide concussion guidelines to other organizations sponsoring athletic activity
on school grounds, however, school divisions are not required to enforce compliance with such policies

Full text of the Virginia law

SportsConcussions.org          Virginia Representatives        Scott and Sarah Rainey

Sarah Rainey, 14, testified before the House Committee on Education and Labor on May 20, 2010.  Sarah suffered a debilitating concussion that ended her soccer season and affected her schoolwork.

She and her father, Scott, have become strong advocates for concussion education.

Sarah's story

Sarah Testifies before a House Panel - New York Times

Virginia school resources

Board of Education Guidelines for Policies on Concussions in Student-Athletes
The Virginia Board of Education (BOE) adopted its final concussion policy guidelines on January 13, 2011.

These guidelines are to be implemented by local school divisions by July 1, 2011. The BOE Concussion Policy
Guidelines follow the state law regarding the annual requirement for student-athletes and parents to review and
acknowledge information on concussions provided by the schools. The Guidelines also repeat the statutory
mandate regarding the removal from play, medical evaluation, and return to play provisions for student-athletes
suspected of sustaining concussions.

Additional provisions in the BOE Guidelines include language requiring school divisions to consider addressing
the academic needs and gradual reintroduction of cognitive demands for students who have been determined to
have a concussion. The Guidelines also require school divisions to train school staff, coaches, athletic trainers,
team physicians and volunteers on recognizing and treating concussions annually. The BOE also requires the
establishment of a Concussion Policy Team - comprised of a school administrator, athletic administrator, license
health care provider, coach, parent and student – to review and refine local concussion management policies on
an annual basis.

Full text of the Virginia BOE‘s Guidelines for Policies on Concussions in Student-Athletes

Virginia additional information

The Virginia Board of Education’s Guidelines provide a listing of resources including
(1) Organizations and agencies that provide resources related to concussions

(2) Concussion assessment tools

 (3) Educational strategies for working with students who have concussions

Link to BOE Resources page