3,000 Mass. students had head injuries last year

BOSTON (AP) — A new survey says 3,000 students in middle schools and high schools across Massachusetts suffered head injuries while playing sports during the last school year.

The first-of-its-kind survey comes as medical experts and officials in sports leagues from Pop Warner to the NFL are increasingly worried about the long-term effects of head injuries. The state Department of Public Health released school reports to The Boston Globe (http://bo.st/VSXTPb ) under a public records request.

Boston College High School in Boston’s Dorchester section reported 76 concussions and other head injuries during extracurricular athletic activities — the highest number of any school in the state. Lexington High School had the second-highest number of head injuries with 69.

Schools are required to submit reports on students’ head injuries under a state law passed in 2010.