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DII Council requires concussion-management plan for all members

By David Pickle
NCAA.org

Division II member institutions will be required to have a concussion-management plan on file as a condition of membership, starting Monday.

The Division II Presidents Council adopted the requirement at its summer meeting Thursday. The change codifies a requirement for a concussion-management plan that the Executive Committee approved as policy and shared with the membership in April. Division II Management Council chair Kathleen Brasfield communicated the action to the Division II membership in a memorandum issued Friday.

The plan was adopted as emergency legislation so it can be in place for the 2010-11 academic year. The Division II membership will have the opportunity to ratify the legislation at the 2011 NCAA Convention in January. Divisions I and III also have adopted the legislation.

The Division II Presidents Council chose an August 16 effective date to make certain that all members are aware of the requirement. However, the expectation is that the vast majority of member schools already have plans in place.

The concussion-management plan must ensure the involvement of appropriate medical personnel in the management of concussions and should assist with the continued evaluation and care of student-athletes who suffer concussions. It also is expected to help student-athletes understand and acknowledge their responsibility for reporting their illnesses and injuries, including the symptoms of concussions.