Concussion Policy

Effective July 1, 2014, all Leagues in Virginia District 16 must establish a policy for concussions that is compliant with Subsection 22.1-271.5.C of the Code of Virginia and Little League Regulation III.d.2 Note 3. Leagues are encouraged to adopt the policy for their local school division. The District is adopting the Loudoun County Public Schools Concussions In Student Athletes policy and implementation guidance for all inter-league play and District-administered tournaments.

Mandatory Training

Each manager and coach of a tournament team must complete the Center for Disease Control’s Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports online training course;
Managers and Coaches must present the certificate of completion for the course to the District Safety Officer no later than the mandatory manager’s meeting for the tournament;
Managers and Coaches who do not present the certificate will not be permitted to remain on the Tournament Affidavit;
The CDC’s training course is free of charge and only takes about 30 minutes to complete; and
District Staff, Tournament Directors, and Umpires must also complete the training prior to the beginning of District Tournaments and provide a copy of their certificate to the District Safety Officer.

Player Agents shall obtain a completed Loudoun County Public Schools, Division of Athletics, Concussions in High School Sports – Guidelines for Parents, Athletes, & Coaches acknowledgement form from parents of each player included on the Tournament Affidavit;
Acknowledgement Forms shall be presented with the Tournament Affidavit for District approval and will be maintained with the Tournament Affidavit for the duration of the team’s participation in the Little League International Tournament; and
If an Acknowledgement Form is not included for a player, the player will not be permitted to remain on the Tournament Affidavit.

Each league should attempt to make reasonable efforts to conduct baseline tests of all players on their Tournament Affidavit prior to the start of the District Tournaments. At a minimum, each league shall have in place for the start of it’s Fall 2014 Season, a plan/process/procedure to conduct baseline tests of all of it’s participants;
Baseline Testing should conform to the CDC’s FAQ on Baseline Testing; and
The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) program is administered by school Athletic Trainers for baseline tests in both Loudoun County Public Schools and Fauquier County Public Schools, but does not have standards for players under 10 years old.