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Illinois lawmakers pushing for more concussion awarness

Peoria Public Radio

Illinois legislators want schools to take more control in dealing with students who have concussions. 

Each year, there are 200,000 concussion-related emergency room visits for children and teenagers in the U.S. For one Chicago lawmaker, that’s not just a statistic. 

Both of Democratic Senator Kwame Raoul's kids have had concussions. Raoul says his teenage daughter is still recovering from one she received when she was playing basketball in January. At first nobody realized it was a concussion. 

"If I as a legislator working on this policy was blind to this invisible injury, imagine how teachers at school don't fully understand will not know to accommodate for the injury." 

A proposal Raoul is sponsoring would make sure students with concussions are accommodated in the classroom with modified coursework.