Trustees discuss expanding athletic-trainer coverage after on-field injuries and heat incident

Trustees discussed athletic-trainer coverage after recent incidents in which student-athletes sustained injuries and heat-related illness. A trustee said he and others had previously pushed for trainers at all middle-school home games and asked staff to explore options to expand coverage beyond the current contract with Vanderbilt, which the district uses for high schools and some middle-school football games.

Trustees and speakers emphasized student safety and asked staff to evaluate contracts, costs and internal alternatives such as training SRO medics or paying school nurses to attend events. "If you have trainers, they're trained to know to stop the games," one trustee said, pressing for clearer protocols after a recent heat-exhaustion incident; another praised an SRO medic who assisted a player at a West Wilson event. The board asked staff to follow up with options and cost estimates for possible contract renegotiation or internal coverage models.