‘Rowan’s Law’ would help avoid fatal concussions
Legislation to curb head injuries among 49 recommendations
Rowan Stringer’s inquest jury tabled 49 recommendations Wednesday, placing much of the responsibility and leadership for future coherent and effective concussion policies at the door of the Ontario government.
As expected, the five-person jury’s first and prime recommendation was for a provincial “Rowan’s Law” that would have four main obligatory goals to protect children and youth from head injury:
Education on sports-related concussions for athletes, coaches and parents;
Removing a child or youth athlete from play if concussion is suspected;
Ensuring a player does not return to play without doctor’s clearance;
Ensuring appropriate return to learn and play strategies are in place.
The jury also recommended that doctors’ notes needed to clear athletes to return to play be free. According to evidence, the fees are too prohibitive for some families.
A provincewide standard for field quality should be implemented to avoid youth playing on surfaces that are too hard or, as is common on some local fields, have protruding water sprinklers.
Rowan, a 17-year-old rugby player, hit her head during a high school match on May 8, 2013, and died in hospital four days later without regaining consciousness.
She had told friends in texts days before that final game that she suspected she had a concussion.
Rowan died of massive brain swelling due to the relatively rare “second impact syndrome” to which adolescents, and especially girls, are susceptible.
Five of Rowan’s teammates also suffered concussions — a fact apparently noted by the jury in its recommendation to extend the rugby season to give players more time to learn the game.
A spokesperson for Education Minister Liz Sandals declined to comment on the recommendations until her officials have reviewed them. She refused to say whether a “Rowan’s Law” will find a place on the government’s agenda.
Previous similar legislation died in 2012 after the provincial legislature was suspended.
The jury also recommended that the provincial sports ministry introduce a code of conduct for players, coaches and parents, aimed at fostering a culture that places players’ health and safety above all else by encouraging fair and clean play.
It said the sports ministry should also:
Mandate pre- and post-game and practice sessions to check on the health of players;
Encourage and promote communication between community and school coaches to track the health of players involved in more than one team or more than one sport;
Require all coaches to carry a standardized binder of information related to concussion and concussion management.
The Ontario Ministry of Education, should lead the development of a formal system to track student concussion, the jury said. And all schools in Ontario should implement a mandatory concussion module as part of the Grade 9 health and physical education curriculum, it said.
The jury’s final recommendation urged the federal government to join the concussion education effort by playing “a leadership role” in sport.
Rowan’s parents, Gordon and Kathleen Stringer, told reporters they were “very pleased with the recommendations.” The prospect of a provincial law with Rowan’s name attached was especially gratifying, they said.
“Rowan is an unusual name,” said Kathleen Stringer, “and we’re hoping that when her name comes up people will associate it with a sad story, but one that will help a lot of children and change the culture of sport.
“If we start implementing it with young kids, eventually we’ll get to the point where it is normal ... to report injury and that it’s actually stronger to own up to something than try to be tough.
“Rowan would be very impressed and happy, and proud of us for all the hard work we’ve done in her honour and legacy,” she added. “She knows everything we do is for her.”
The Stringers named Rowan after a character in the Anne Rice novel The Witching Hour. The character, Dr. Rowan Mayfair, is a neurosurgeon.
Of all the other jury recommendations, those dealing with education are the most important, said Gordon Stringer.
“When you give kids the right education and the right tools, they will make good decisions,” he said.
Both parents reiterated their appeal to schools and school boards not to ban “high risk” sports.
“That was never our message and if that ever came to be, Rowan would have been devastated,” Gordon Stringer said.
Inquest counsel Mark Moors, a former CFL player, said it was clear from evidence heard during the inquest that current knowledge of concussion is the “tip of the iceberg.”
“What we’ve learned over the course of the inquest is how much we don’t know about concussions,” Moors said, “but there is enough knowledge there to prevent a death like Rowan’s from happening again.”
The Stringers say they won’t rest until the jury recommendations are implemented.
“I feel like this step is finished,” said Gordon Stringer, “but there is a path ahead of us.”
This isn’t a partisan issue, or a political football. It is for the good of all families in the province and hopefully every political party in the province will get on board. GORDON STRINGER, Rowan’s father If Rowan had been given the information from a younger age all the way along she would have made a different choice. She would have been strong enough and smart enough to make that decision. We need to get the information out to the kids it affects. KATHLEEN STRINGER, Rowan’s mother
The jury really gave a lot of thought to changing culture. When an athlete wants to play, they want to play. How do you make someone want to declare they’ve got a concussion? What are the rules that would and tools make it easy for another Rowan Stringer to raise her hand and say ‘ I can’t play, I have a concussion.’ DR. LOUISE McNAUGHTONFILION, regional coroner