Frequently Asked Questions about the Student Head Injury Report Tool

Who can I contact if I have questions or issues with the reporting tool?

You can email StudentConcussionReporting@doh.wa.gov or call 360.236.2863 for help.

Who is considered a licensed health care provider trained in the evaluation of concussions and brain injuries to diagnose a concussion for reporting?

Any health care professional from this list is considered a licensed health care provider that can provide a diagnosis of concussion requiring school reporting:

Medical Doctor (MD)
Doctor of Osteopathy (DO)
Physician’s Assistant (PA)
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP)

Who develops the guidelines for what is considered a licensed health care provider to diagnose concussion in student athletes?

Washington statute RCW 28A.600.190 instructs school districts and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) to develop guidelines for concussion management for athletes.

WIAA recognizes the previously listed professions as licensed health care providers regarding concussion evaluation in addition to athletic trainers. Current RCW regarding Athletic Trainers licensing does not permit them to “diagnose”. Athletic trainers continue their authority to remove from or return a student to play.

Will we be able to access a report or be emailed a response when our forms are submitted?

No. The current reporting tool does not allow reporters to access their submissions. You should receive a confirmation note on the screen when you submit a report but it does not identify specific students.

Will you be providing the questions in the reporting tool in a written format so that these questions can be incorporated into our current forms/accident reports?

Yes. The questions are available in PDF and an Excel spreadsheet on the DOH Injury and Violence Prevention web page. You can also request the questions by email from StudentConcussionReporting@doh.wa.gov.

Will this data that is being collected be available for public viewing?

Yes. The Department of Health will create an annual report starting after the 2022-2023 school year. The report and a summary will be shared on the department website.

Who is required to complete the reporting?

All public schools in Washington. School officials can designate who completes reporting based on their own policies and procedures. The person completing the reporting form does not have to be the person who diagnosed the concussion.

When does reporting have to be completed?

Reporting for the current school year should be completed by June 30. Summer activities should be reported after July 1. This allows them to be included in the appropriate year.

Can reporting be done at time of injury?

Reporting should be done after the student is allowed to return to typical learning and extra-curricular activities. If the student does not return to typical activities by the end of the school year, the injury should be submitted by June 30.

Do schools have to track each concussion through the whole season?

Schools should track each concussion until the student has medical authorization to return to play and has returned to their typical learning environment or until the end of the school year.

How is “typical learning environment” defined?

A typical learning environment means the student has returned to the same the learning environment the student was in prior to the concussion.

For example:

If the student had no accommodations prior to the injury, they would need to be back in the same classroom with no accommodations.
If the student had accommodations prior to the injury, they would need to be back in the same classroom with the same accommodations in place.

What if the person has not been authorized to return to learn or play by the end of the school year?

Complete the reporting at the close of the school year. If the student is not authorized to return to play or learn by the end of the school year, select “no” in the return questions at the end of the reporting tool.

Is this reporting tool only for schools, or will doctor’s offices use this tool as well?

This tool is only for schools.

If a student sustains a diagnosed concussion outside of school, will we still be reporting on their behalf?

You do not have to report a student concussion that occurs outside of a school activity, but there is a place for schools to add concussions that affect a student in school that happen outside of schools. This info will help us get a more comprehensive picture of how student concussions affect learning and education.

Will there be a recording of the training webinars for staff who were unable to attend or need a review?

Recordings of at least one webinar will be posted online on the Student Head Injury Information Reporting webpage.

Who is required to attend the training webinars?

Our webinars are meant to help you get used to this new tool and get technical help. We do not require attendance, but your school district may have different policies. Connect with your leadership to learn more.

Why are sex at birth, gender and ethnicity included on the form?

We use information like sex at birth, gender, ethnicity, and more to look for trends and disparities. This helps us make changes and recommendations to improve student health. Sex at birth is required by the law, but gender and ethnicity are optional. Make sure to only add these gender and ethnicity if the student self-identifies as such.

Will this reporting tool be utilized for head injuries that have not been diagnosed yet?

In general, no. Schools are only required report diagnosed concussions. Schools may report suspected concussions when they meet the following conditions:

A concussion was suspected, but a licensed health care provider was not available
The student was not able to see a healthcare provider
The school needed to provide accommodations or adjustments for learning because of the injury regardless of official diagnosis.

This data will be reviewed separately from diagnosed data.

Is the question asking who initially examined the student at the time of injury asking who evaluated or who recognized the injury?

This would be who evaluated the student first. This may be a licensed health care provider on site, but it could be anyone with some knowledge of the signs and symptoms of concussions. The student then must be referred to a licensed health care provider for diagnosis. Schools are only required to report concussions diagnosed by a healthcare provider.

If the concussion has not resolved by the end of the school year, when do I report it?

If the concussion has not resolved by the end of the school year it should be reported by June 30 of that year.

Is this form required in addition to recording the injury on Skyward?

Yes. DOH does not have access to information in Skyward.

We are sharing the responsibility between the building nurses and the athletic trainer. Is there a dashboard or a confirmation email that lets us know when the form has been filled out?

At this time, we do not have the ability to allow schools to see data submitted in their school district. We have created an excel file that can be used to track injuries as a template. Schools are encouraged to create their own systems and policies around compliance and reporting.

How do I follow up to see if cases are being reported in my district?