Most students return to school within one to two days of a concussion, even if some symptoms are still present. The most useful thing a family can do before that return is turn the healthcare provider’s guidance into specific written questions for the school. Ask who is coordinating supports, how those supports get written down, and how updates will be shared. This guide is a worksheet for asking those questions. It does not set activity limits, return dates, or medical guidance itself.
Why This Question Matters
A concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury, often called a TBI. It can affect concentration, reading, screen use, noise tolerance, and energy for days or weeks after the first symptoms improve. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages schools to use a written concussion or TBI management plan and to name one staff member as the point of contact for the family. Knowing what that plan should include, and who to ask about it, helps families avoid two common problems: a plan that never gets written down, or a plan that exists but no one at home knows who to call when something changes.
Evidence Ladder: What’s Established, What’s Common Practice, and What’s Local
Not every claim about school return carries the same level of certainty. This ladder separates federal public health guidance from practices that vary by school or district.
Established (CDC guidance)
- Most children can return to school within one to two days of a concussion, though symptoms may still be present during that return (CDC HEADS UP).
- Families are encouraged to ask their child’s healthcare provider to complete the CDC “HEADS UP Letter to Schools” and share it with teachers, nurses, and other staff so the school understands the recommended supports.
- CDC’s school TBI management plan describes a “collaborative team approach” that can include teachers, counselors, administrators, special education staff, and paraprofessionals, along with the student’s parent or guardian and healthcare provider.
- CDC materials recommend the plan identify a case manager or point of contact who coordinates the student’s supports and updates.
- CDC describes examples of academic and environmental supports schools can offer, organized around cognitive symptoms (such as reduced assignment load or extra time), physical or sensory symptoms (such as rest breaks or reduced light exposure), and emotional symptoms (such as identifying quiet spaces or supportive adults).
- CDC notes that students with a history of prior concussion, migraine, or a learning disability may need a longer recovery period and may be evaluated for additional support structures, such as a 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Common practice (varies by school or district)
- Which staff role serves as the point of contact (a school nurse, counselor, case manager, or assistant principal) is decided locally and is not standardized nationwide.
- How often the school reviews or updates the plan, and what format that review takes (email, phone call, in-person meeting), depends on the individual school’s process.
- Whether the school proactively sends families a copy of its general TBI management plan at the start of the year, as CDC materials suggest schools consider doing, is a matter of local practice rather than a designed to deliver federal requirement.
Not addressed by these sources
- How long any individual student should be excused from specific classwork, tests, sports, or screen time. That determination is clinical and belongs to the treating healthcare provider, not to this guide or to school staff acting alone.
- Whether a specific student qualifies for a 504 Plan, IEP, or MTSS support tier. Eligibility is a legal and clinical determination made through the school’s own evaluation process.
Known Versus Unknown: A Quick Check Before the Meeting
Before contacting the school, it can help to sort what the family already knows from what still needs to be asked.
- Likely known: The date of the injury, the general symptoms reported so far, and whether a healthcare provider has already given written instructions.
- Likely unknown until asked: Who at the school will serve as the ongoing point of contact; whether the school already has a written TBI or concussion management plan on file; how classroom accommodations get documented so substitute teachers or specialists also see them; and how the family will be notified if the plan needs to change as symptoms evolve.
- Not something this guide, or school staff, can determine: Whether the student is medically ready for a particular activity. That answer should come from the healthcare provider who evaluated the student.
A Question Worksheet for the Return-to-School Conversation
These questions mirror the parts CDC describes for a school TBI management plan. Bringing them to the first conversation with school staff can help the family walk away with something in writing, rather than a verbal understanding that is easy to lose track of.
Coordination and contact
- Who is the single point of contact for questions about my child’s return, and how should I reach them?
- Does the school already have a written concussion or TBI management plan, or will one be created for my child specifically?
- Will other staff who interact with my child, such as substitute teachers, specialists, coaches, or bus staff, see the written plan, or does that need to be requested separately?
Academic supports
- How will reduced workload, extended time, or modified grading, if the healthcare provider recommends any of these, be documented so every teacher applies them consistently?
- Is there a process for providing class notes, recorded lessons, or study guides if my child cannot complete usual reading or screen work for a period of time?
Physical and sensory environment
- What is the process if my child needs a quiet space, a break, or reduced light or noise exposure during the school day?
- Who approves and tracks accommodations like extra passing time between classes or nurse visits?
Ongoing communication
- How and when will the school update me if my child’s symptoms or needs appear to change during the school day?
- Is there a scheduled check-in, such as weekly or biweekly, to review whether the current plan is still working, or does that happen only if a problem comes up?
- If my child’s provider recommends longer-term support, who starts the conversation about a 504 Plan, IEP, or MTSS evaluation?
Practical Next-Step Checklist
- Ask the treating healthcare provider whether they can complete a written letter to the school describing recommended supports, and request a copy for home records.
- Identify, by name and role, the person who will be the family’s point of contact at the school.
- Ask whether a written plan exists or will be created, and request a copy once it is finalized.
- Confirm how and when the family will hear about any changes to the plan.
- Keep a simple written log at home of symptoms and school days affected, in case the plan needs to be revisited later.
When to Seek Urgent Care
This guide covers planning conversations for a concussion that a healthcare provider has already evaluated. It is not guidance for a head injury that has not yet been seen by a provider. Seek emergency care right away if a student with a recent head injury develops worsening headache, repeated vomiting, slurred speech, increasing confusion, seizures, weakness or numbness, unusual drowsiness, or difficulty waking up. In an emergency, contact local emergency services immediately rather than waiting for a school-based appointment.
Where to Go Next
This worksheet focuses narrowly on the return-to-school conversation. For the broader picture of how families, schools, and communities coordinate on student health, see our Family-School-Community Coordination hub. For general context on day-to-day supports that help students recover and stay well at school, see Student Wellbeing and Routines. If you are new to this site, Start Here explains how our guides are organized, and How We Research explains our sourcing standards.
Medical Information Disclaimer
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat, or recommend a course of treatment for any individual, and it should not be used to decide when a specific student is ready to return to schoolwork, sports, or other activities. Only the student’s treating healthcare provider can make those determinations. Healthy Learning Environments Guide is an independent educational publication. We are not a school district, public health agency, healthcare provider, or affiliated with any clinical organization, and we do not collect or store individual student health information.
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