CoRTEx is SUSD30's academic concussion management protocol. It stands for Cognitive Return to Exertion. Briefly, team leaders at various schools coordinate with students, families, medical providers, and school staff to develop a plan for academic success during the neurorepair process.

What We Do:

- Screen referrals from all sources

- Determine the student's symptoms

- Develop recommendations for school so the student is comfortable and successful in their learning environment

- Coordinate care with medical providers

What We Don't Do:

- We don't diagnose concussion

- We don't determine when a student can return to play

- But...we know medical providers who can help!

Students who sustain concussions can experience a number of physical, emotional, cognitive, and sleep symptoms, all of which can interrupt school performance. Even if concussion symptoms are brief, the repercussions can be long-lasting in terms of falling behind academically, demonstrating new behavior and attention problems, increasing absences, and disrupting relationships. Adolescents are most likely to have severe and long lasting symptoms, which is precisely the time that academic records matter the most. Cognitive over-exertion, which can happen when school activities are not modified, can make symptoms worse and last longer.

Schools that proactively manage concussion symptoms are well-prepared to support students after concussions or suspected concussions. Families are more comfortable sending their children to school, students are more likely to attend school more consistently, and outcomes in all domains improve. Concussion management teams such as CoRTEx are highly recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

You can watch the video below to learn more about concussion management and why it is important at school. The video was developed by a medical student in collaboration with Dr. Mortazavi at SPARCC in response to questions generated by our faculty and staff. It was shown at professional development meetings during the 2019-2020 school year, but if you are new or need a refresher, please watch!