The terminology “return to learn” is now being emphasized as much as or more than “return to play” when it comes to student athletes and concussions.

The state Department of Education follows detailed guidelines to help those who suffer concussions get back to full speed in the classroom as well as on the playing field — as gradually as necessary, and with the priority of no additional risk to their health.

Athletic health care trainers, doctors, teachers, coaches, school administrators, school health aides and parents all have roles in a “communication chain” monitoring a concussed student athlete’s recovery progress, according to the DOE guidelines.

“(A concussion) can affect ability to process things, processing speed, as well as reading, decoding. Some of the issues that come up can be with their eyes: They might not be able to track as they’re reading, from note-taking to focusing on the board and then back down,” said Troy Furutani, manager of the Hawaii Concussion Awareness and Management Program (HCAMP). “Return to learn is a piece where we ask educators, teachers, to become aware about concussions and that students might not be able to function normally in the classroom.”

Modification examples include rest periods, extended time for completion of assignments and more time to prepare for tests, Furutani said.

He added that return to learn must happen before return to play.

“Hawaii schools’ return-to-learn policy is just as significant (as return to play),” Hawaii High School Athletic Association Executive Director Christopher Chun said. “Our athletes are students first. Concussions affect school participation as much as athletic participation, and it is important to recognize that there are policies addressing both.”

State Sen. Jill Tokuda (D, Kailua- Kaneohe) also views return to learn as an important piece in concussion recovery for student athletes.

“This is about your child and not about the participation in the game or sport and how well they perform now,” she said. “It’s about their health and ability to succeed in life long term. We know now longitudinally what can happen. So knowing what we know, we really have to take care of our student athletes.”