If your child plays school sports in Montana, state law spells out exactly what must happen after a suspected concussion: immediate removal from play, and no return until they are symptom-free and have written clearance from a licensed health care professional. At Root Therapy and Wellness in Bozeman, we walk families through this process every fall — here’s what the law says, and what it means for your athlete.
What Is the Dylan Steigers Act?
Montana’s youth concussion law is the Dylan Steigers Protection of Youth Athletes Act, passed in 2013 as Senate Bill 112 and codified at Montana Code Annotated Title 20, chapter 7, part 13. It’s named for Dylan Steigers, a Missoula Sentinel graduate who died in 2010 after sustaining a head injury during a college football scrimmage. The law’s stated purpose is blunt: to prevent permanent injury and death in Montana’s young athletes.
In 2017, House Bill 487 expanded the law beyond public school districts to include private schools and other youth athletic organizations, effective October 1, 2017 — so club and league sports are covered too, not just school teams.
What the Law Requires, Step by Step
1. Education before the season. Schools and youth athletic organizations must provide concussion education, and every athlete and their parent or guardian must sign a form confirming they’ve reviewed it before the athlete can participate that school year. Coaches and officials must complete concussion training at least once each year.
2. Immediate removal from play. An athletic trainer, coach, or official is required to remove a youth athlete from participation at the time the athlete shows signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion. This applies to games, practices, tryouts, training, and sports camps — not just competition. There is no “shake it off and finish the quarter” under Montana law.
3. No return without written clearance. A removed athlete may not return to play until two things are true: they no longer show signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion, and they’ve been evaluated by a licensed health care professional who provides written clearance stating the athlete was evaluated and, in the professional’s opinion, can safely resume participation.
Who Can Clear My Athlete to Return?
The statute defines a licensed health care professional as “a registered, licensed, certified, or otherwise statutorily recognized health care professional whose training includes the evaluation and management of concussions consistent with current medical knowledge.” That’s intentionally broader than “physician” — it can include physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, athletic trainers, and other providers with concussion training.
Two practical notes for parents: individual schools and organizations can set stricter policies than the state minimum, and many have their own clearance forms — so always check with your athletic director or league about who they accept clearance from and what paperwork they require.
What Does a Safe Return to Play Actually Look Like?
Clearance is not the finish line — it’s the gate to a graduated return. Current concussion care follows a stepwise progression: light aerobic activity first, then sport-specific movement, then non-contact training, then full-contact practice, and finally competition, advancing a step at a time only when the previous step doesn’t provoke symptoms. If symptoms return at any stage, the athlete drops back a step.
This is also where rest-only advice falls short. As we covered in our post on concussion recovery, current evidence supports early, gradual, symptom-guided activity over prolonged strict rest for most concussions.
How Concussion Rehabilitation Fits In
Some athletes feel normal within days. Others deal with lingering dizziness, headaches, visual strain, neck pain, or brain fog that stalls their return. That’s where concussion rehabilitation comes in: a structured evaluation of the systems concussion commonly disrupts — including balance, vision, the neck, and exertion tolerance — followed by targeted treatment and a symptom-guided progression back to sport, school, and life.
At Root, we coordinate that process with your child’s physician and school so the graduated return happens in the right order, at the right pace, with everyone working from the same plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the law apply to club and rec sports, or just school teams?
Since October 2017, Montana’s requirements extend beyond public school districts to private schools and other youth athletic organizations. Individual organizations may layer their own policies on top, so check with your specific league.
How long after a concussion can my child play again?
There’s no fixed number of days in the law, and honest answer: it varies by athlete. The requirements are symptom resolution, professional evaluation, written clearance, and then a graduated progression — some athletes move through that in a week or two, others need longer, especially with repeat concussions.
What if symptoms come back during the return-to-play steps?
That’s the system working. Returning symptoms mean the athlete drops back to the previous step and progresses again once things settle. If symptoms keep recurring or linger for weeks, that’s a strong signal a targeted concussion rehab evaluation is worth doing.
If your athlete is struggling to get back to normal after a concussion — or you want an experienced team guiding the return-to-play process — call or text Root at (406) 219-5388 or request an appointment. We’re in Bozeman at 1283 N 14th Ave, Suite 101.