Student Safety: The Answers Left Pending

School Board: Call, ring, no answer, leave voicemail, hang up and repeat.

High School: Call, ring, secretary answers, message taken, hang up and repeat. 

    This process happened every 2 to 3 days a week for a little over a month, before a response was received from anyone. Voicemail box recordings and guarantees that Principal's would receive left messages when they returned from meetings were the usual.

    A high school football reporting project for upper-level journalism students at Kent State University, based on Dr. Bennet Omalu's recommendation that high school student's shouldn't be playing football due to the possibility of irreversible damage on an underdeveloped brain, is where this journey began. During his work as a Neuropathologist in 2002, Dr. Omalu discovered Chronic Traumatic Encephalothopy, better known as CTE, in a former Pittsburgh Steeler football player who had died suddenly. He was suspicious that the player suffered from dementia pugilistica (dementia induced by repeated blows to the head), and after a self-funded research process found out he was correct. The player had sustained CTE from his many years of football play and multiple concussions.    

Neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu

    He was suspicious that the player suffered from dementia pugilistica (dementia induced by repeated blows to the head), and after a self-funded research process found out he was correct. The player had sustained CTE from his many years of football play and multiple concussions. If he had sustained this permanent injury how many more football players had the same issue and were unaware of its possibly extreme and possibly fatal effects?

    The question from there became clear. If a doctor who published the true effects of CTE on a fully developed brain, also recommended students, who brains are only partially developed, not play football how do administrators of public Ohio schools feel about it? With that in mind each reporting student was paired with a school district and could choose a public school within that district to profile.

    The tasks were simple. First, obtain all the paperwork that must be signed by players and their parents before they are allowed to touch the field, specifically those related to concussions. Second, set up two interviews. One with the principal of the chosen school and the other from that districts school board president, asking their opinion on the recommendation that Doctor Omalu gave for students...But not one call was returned and finding an email address to send a public records request was like finding a needle in a hay stack. 

    

    Frustrating is not the word to describe the emotions that come to mind when simply trying to find a person to speak to about the safety risk of players at one of the most talented, talked about and well known public high school football teams in Cleveland, Ohio.  

Glenville High School Football Team by Karin McKenna

    Glenville high school's list of notable alumni span from writers and actor like Steve Harvey and Jerry Seigel to their vast amount of National Football League (NFL) alumni such as Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and Donte Whitner. With its large number of NFL alumni alone it comes as no surprise that the Glenville Tarblooder's Football team is one of this school's shining jewels. The team has been coached by the same man, Cleveland notable Ted Ginn Sr., since 1997.

Football CoachTed Ginn Sr.

Head Football Coach Ted Ginn Sr. and Players at First Energy Stadium

    
    His dedication to the teams betterment made way for them to be the first Cleveland Public High School to advance to the State Final in OHSAA Playoff history in 2009.   

     Currently 5-3 in conference play, the team recently said goodbye to 18 of its graduating senior players who participated in National Signing Day, where letters of intent to play at the Collegiate Level were signed as parents, teachers, friends and media alike watched and cheered. Who wouldn't want to talk about that?

2016 National Signing Day

    The reality is this particular neighborhood in Cleveland isn't one of the best. Many parts of it are riddled with poverty, crime and drugs. Not the type of place anybody wants to live, much less raise a family, but people make do with what they have. Often times the only way out that these young men see is through sports and with a program as well known for giving many players a way out of their current circumstances, it's no surprise that the community, school and players would be protective of anything threatening to take that away...but that doesn't mean the dangers shouldn't be addressed or considered. 

    While the previous argument may be valid that doesn't negate that the school had given no correspondence after other than a pleasant secretary, Ms. Watkins, promising to deliver messages in over a month. 

    At the beginning of week 5, contact was made with the school board president's secretary, Ms. Karlea Steele, who explained that she had been out sick for a few days, but had planned on returning the calls left in her voicemail box as soon as possible. This conversation was only after being transferred to 3 different departments, all of whom claimed they either didn't know who the president was, whether they existed, or who should be spoken to to get into contact with whoever they were... Ms. Steele went on to say that the School Board President didn't give out her personal email, but offered to forward my emails to Ms. Denise Link, the current Cleveland Metropolitan School District President...From whom nothing has been received. 

Dr. Samuel Scavella - Glenville  High School Co-Principal

Ms. Denise Link- Current School Board President to Cleveland Metropolitan School Distirct

    Glenville High however redeemed themselves by having Ms. Jacqueline Belle, co-principal with Dr. Scavella, return my calls Friday, October 14th 2016 at around 7pm. She stated due to her position over the athletic functions at the school she had been asked to return my call. She agreed to do an interview the evening of October 18th 2016 depending on her test results from the doctor, since she hadn't been feeling well and was scheduled for an appointment.

Jacqueline Bell Co-Principal at Glenville High School
(Picture wasn't given or placed on schools website for use) 

    Up to this point nothing has been said in relation to the topic of concussions or the recommendation students shouldn't be playing football from the school or the school board president. Whether either interview with Ms. Bell or Ms. Link will happen is still up in the air. Does the school agree with allowing students to play football despite the proven irreversible imminent dangers? Does the School board principal have anything say at all? Is this important to the administrators at all? Until definite "No's" or refusals to speak can be obtained in writing or on tape...

   

Call, ring, leave message, hang up and repeat. 

Talawanda High School Principal not Recommends Kids Stop Playing Football

Talawanda High School Principal not Recommends Kids Stop Playing Football

Dr. Bennet Omalu, the first to identify, describe and name Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) as a disease entity in football players, says don't let kids play football in his Op-Ed for New York Times.

Repeated blows to the head can contribute to permanent brain damage or CTE which Dr. Omalu said causes depression, memory loss, suicidal thoughts, and irreparable brain damage.

Photo: Tom York
Source: Tom York

Reporters in a Computer Assisted Reporting class at Kent State University contacted principals and school board presidents from 17 high schools in Ohio asking for a reaction to Omalu’s Op-Ed. Only six principals and three presidents agreed to make comments.

“I won’t recommend that we stop playing football,” said TomYork, the principal of Talawanda High School. “I don’t think many people read his opinion writing. I still don’t know it would change anyone’s mind whether let their kids play football.”

York didn’t think concussions would cause eliminating football. Only the high cost of playing football games, the academic needs and students' involvement in other activities could make it happen. “I don’t see eliminating football anytime that soon. There are too much traditions and heritage behind it.”

“Athletics is a privilege not a right!” is on the cover of Talawanda Athletics Extra-Curricular Handbook. Located in Oxford, Talawanda High School belongs to Southwest Ohio Conference. Students have many chances to be involved in athletic teams.

York agreed that playing football is risky to kids. But he believed “with appropriate instruction and techniques that keep kids safe can get better.”

All coaches and trainers at Talawanda High School have gone through Heads Up Football, a series of in-person and online courses for coaches to learn better safety procedures and proper tackling drills, according to York.

Another story published at New York Times found no study supporting National Football League’s claim that Heads Up Football had reduced concussion.

Photo: Talawanda High School
Source: https://talawanda.org/ths

At Talawanda High School, all athletes and parents/guardians should sign on the Ohio Department of Health Concussion Information Sheet to indicate that they understand that they have the responsibility to report their/their child’s symptoms to coaches, administrators and health care provider.

York has never heard any concerns about letting kids play football from parents. “If they (parents) did have concerns, they probably would not let their kids play,” said York. “I think they believe it’s an individual decision. It’s the same as allowing your kids to drive a car.”

What parents want is to let their kids involved in sports, get scholarships from universities, play footballs in universities, then go to NFL and make millions of dollars, said York. “The real truth of matter is that’s not gonna happen.”

“It would be my desire that kids concentrate more on being good students academically and going to colleges based on their academic accomplishments as opposed to their athletic accomplishments,” said York. “But parents don’t see it that way."

According to York, the issue of athletic concussion has been discussed at Talawanda Board of Education meeting, regarding the adoption and following the protocol for training athletes for any sports that concussion could occur.

Talawanda High School relies OSSAA on guidelines about how to operate its programs. The principal has not asked attorneys to come up with any policies and rules. 

Mark Butterflied, the president of school board, has not responded to the interview request sent by either phone call or email. Linda Wendt, the Administrative Assistant of the Board of Education, said Butterflied has no office in the board office. 

For more information, please watch the video. 

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What I've learned: 
Always think and act as a reporter. 
This means a lot. A reporter should make plans and figure out who to contact. Asking one resource to recommend others can save a lot of time. A reporter should make good preparations before contacting people. When calling someone, make sure you have all paper drafts ready to be sent right away. A reporter should not be afraid to make phone calls, especially calling to the same person in multiple times. They might hate you personally, but reporter's job is not to make friends. A report should know how to ask questions. No matter what people answer, never hesitate to ask for evidence. 

Bowling Green Board President: Concussion Risk Outweighed

Bowling Green Board of Education
President, Mr. Paul Walker, said the risks
of playing football are outweighed by the benefits.

Bowling Green School Board President Paul Walker said he does not believe the risk of concussions outweighs the benefits of kids playing football. "There are risks associated with all the competitive sports kids play," Mr. Walker said. 

We sent Board President Walker as well as Principal Jeffrey Dever a copy of Dr. Omalu's op ed to read though before the interview. Dr. Omalu first diagnosed Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in 2002, which is a disease that can cause a variety of health issues including memory loss and later in life dementia. He recommends children should not be allowed to play football due to the long-term consequences involving brain damage.

Bowling Green High School Principal,
Mr. Jeffrey Dever, refused to interview.

Principal Dever refused to do an interview with us saying, "I do not wish to participate in this study." However, Walker answered our questions after he read through Dr. Omalu's op ed.

Mr. Walker said the Board of Education has discussed the issue of athletic concussions as a board, but not at a public meeting. He again stated he believes there is risk with everything and the risks of playing football are outweighed by the benefits, which he cited to include working as a team and setting goals. But do the benefits really outweigh the risk?

While Mr. Walker is right about sports all having risks, the risk of getting a concussion from playing football is a 75% chance according to the National Safety Council (NSC). The NSC also noted in a post on its website that playing football has the highest chances of getting a concussion for men. Working as a team and setting goals can be beneficial lessons to learn, but there are other ways children can learn these lessons. As previously stated, CTE can cause memory loss and dementia. Even if playing football teaches these lessons, it can make kids forget them and more in the long run. 

Bowling Green High School does follow the Ohio High School Athletic Association's (OHSAA) concussion policy. The policy includes requirements for coaches and contest officials to take a course on concussions or have a pupil activity program/coaching permit. Also, parents and students must review and sign a concussion information sheet as part of the policy. 

East high school does not respond to concussion concerns

                                                                     





East High School Board President Brenda  Kimble                 



East High School in Youngstown, Ohio will not respond to concerns about student-athlete safety and concussions.
Three phone calls  were made to principal Denise Vaclav-Danko and an answering machine answered each time. When the secretary Ms. Stephens  answered  she said "There was not a good time to call as Mrs. Vaclav-Danko was in meetings."  Follow-up emails were sent after the first and third  phone call. The same results rang true for board president Brenda Kimble. Two phone calls were made, the first followed by an email. 
 Contacts were made to get the opinion of Principal Vaclav-Danko on if  her students should be allowed to play football after the discoveries made by Dr. Bennet Omalu.
Dr.  Omalu is the pathologist who discovered chronic traumatic encephalothopy in American Football players. He discovered that repeated  blows to the head causes injury to the brain  starting with dizziness, headaches and disorientation. CTE, Omalu discovered caused sudden death in Pro football players. Omalu found that repetitive blows to the head in high-impact contact sports like football, ice hockey, mixed martial arts and boxing place athletes at risk of permanent brain damage.  He states that if we know permanent brain damage is a risk football athletes should play football less as the article Op-ed says

“we do not smoke in enclosed public spaces like airplanes; we have passed laws to keep children from smoking or drinking alcohol; and we do not use asbestos." We have all these other precautions  yet we continue to allow our children to play football when it’s bad for their health."
 Don’t Let Kids play Football    by Doctor Bennett Omalu says “If a child who plays football is subjected to advanced radiological and neurocognitive studies during the season and several months after the season, there can be evidence of brain damage at the cellular level of brain functioning, even if there were no documented concussions or reported symptoms. If that child continues to play over many seasons, these cellular injuries accumulate to cause irreversible brain damage, which we know now by the name Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or C.T.E., a disease that I first diagnosed in 2002."





In Youngstown parents must sign a waiver stating, “I understand concussions and other head injuries have serious and possible long-lasting effects." Parents willingly sign these forms practically giving their kids over to head trauma.  Dr. Omalu can’t quite seem to understand this as he states, “As we become more intellectually sophisticated and advanced, with greater and broader access to information and knowledge, we have given up old practices in the name of safety and progress. That is, except when it comes to sports."Traumatic head injuries lead to things we don’t allow or want children to do yet we do allow them  to get hit repeatedly possibly driving them into alcoholism and drug addiction.
  In wondering how High school principals and board president’s feel on this matter Youngstown's principal nor board president answered a phone call from student journalists. East High School’s concussion records show that they follow concussion policies set by the Ohio Board of Health and  the athletic director told public records holder Mary Carter that Youngstown State University provides the district with concussion testing.

                        My name is Samantha Lough and I am a senior journalism major
                         at Kent State University.  I can be reached at slough@kent.edu.

Will the Friday Night Lights Burn Out From Safety Concerns?

Life expectancy has doubled in the past 200 years. New discoveries over the decades have brought forth knowledge of potentially harmful threats to our health, paving the way for medical advancements. DDT was the most popular pesticide used during the 1940s until it was banned for potentially causing tumors and birth defects. Asbestos was used in the construction of wallboards and gas fireplaces for years. In the 1970s, it was banned after it was discovered to be a carcinogen. In recent years, Monsanto, a popular agrochemical corporation, has been spraying the herbicide, Roundup, on its crops. In the past few years, it was discovered that the herbicide may cause autism, cancer and heart disease. This danger has not been extinguished, and it is not the only one.

Playing football has the potential to cause significant health problems. While high school administrators are aware of these problems, few are willing to address the issue.

In Dr. Omalu’s New York Times article, “Don’t Let Kids Play Football”, he discusses how the high-impact sport may cause permanent brain damage.

The neurologist is noted for the discovery of CTE, a degenerative disease that is commonly found in athletes who play football and boxing.

Boxing was once at the forefront of the public’s attention, with stars such as Muhammad Ali constantly in the limelight. Now, as more and more dangers came out about a sport rendering the objective to cause concussions, parents are less likely to encourage participation from their children.  

Yet, high school football, putting players at the same risk for CTE as boxing, continues to be a popular choice for student athletes and fans.

My reporting class was asked to contact high school principals and school board presidents from across the state of Ohio to learn their opinions on Dr. Omalu’s recommendation that students not participate in football.

I contacted seven high schools in Cincinnati, yet only one principal agreed to an interview. 

The principals at James N. Gamble Montessori High School, Aiken High School, Shroder Paideia High School, and Clark Montessori High School never responded to my multiple emails or public records requests.

Jeff Brokamp, principal of Walnut Hills High School, said that while this is a topic that he himself is “gathering facts on” he is “not yet ready to articulate” his views.




School Board President Ericka Copeland-Dansby did not respond to my five emails.

I made multiple attempts to contact Charlene Myers, principal of Riverview East Academy. It was not until I told her that I was going to report that she gave no response that she finally answered. She said she had been out of the office for two and a half weeks, so, "you can imagine this is not a priority."

Principal Dean Nicholas of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, a private school, was the only one who agreed to an interview. 

Principal Dean Nicholas
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy

“Football is a big part of high school culture, and that’s a great thing…but at the same time, I worry that can also give us cultural blinders,” Nicholas said.

Each week, millions nationwide flock to their respective local stadiums for the Friday night lights.

However, numbers for his school’s youth football team were so low that this is the first year that they were not able to have a team.

For this reason, his athletic department is conversing about how to make the game safer for players.

Nicholas said that his institution follows Cincinnati's concussion protocol and spends many dollars to buy the best equipment for players. He said that his athletic department and trainers “do everything that is possible from a physiology and medical perspective” to avoid the risk of concussions.

He told me that the football coaches are looking at a new tackle strategy that teaches players to keep their head to the side instead of “using it as a weapon”.

Nicholas agreed that he believes the low participation is due to parental concern for their children’s safety.

He also said this is the first time ever that his school had more students playing soccer than football.

While Nicholas believes the game may shift to the players having stronger equipment, he does not believe it will cease to exist as a contact sport.

________________________________________________________________________________

This project taught me that often times, the most controversial issues are the ones that need to be discussed most. The difficulty, however, is that few actually want to have that discussion. I spent three weeks trying to get a hold of principals across the city before one agreed to an interview. I did find it to be very surprising that the only principal who agreed to an interview was the principal of a private high school. 

Through my interview, I learned how difficult it is to change the public's mind about something they love, even with the known safety concerns involved. When it comes to Friday night lights, the bright side is that at least small changes are being done to increase safety. If these small changes happen nationwide, the ripple effect may produce something more significant in time.