Aspire guide
Team Resources
Team Resources manual
The referral chain inside a school
What actually happens after a coach decides to act: who you tell and in what order, what belongs in a note to the athletic trainer and what must never be written down, how the conversation goes when a parent is defensive or is the pressure, what each professional does with the handoff, and what happens to training while you wait.
Why this matters
What actually happens after a coach decides to act: who you tell and in what order, what belongs in a note to the athletic trainer and what must never be written down, how the conversation goes when…
Read time
38 min
Audience
Coach + Parent
Use it for
Team Resources
Start here
Notice, describe, hand off — athletic trainer same day, then the parent.
Coach prompt
Is your athletic trainer's number in your phone, and the AD's answer in writing?
Quick reference
Topic snapshot
The printed sheet
Read time
38 min
Audience
Coach + Parent
Best next move
Use it this week
Is your athletic trainer's number in your phone, and the AD's answer in writing?
Quick reference map
Use the topic like a clear checklist
In the library
Format
Read the topic here, then download the PDF only when you need an offline copy.
Best use
Open the sections you need, then share the same topic link with coaches, parents, or athletes.
Recognizable options
What this can look like at the store
These are familiar examples, not a required shopping list. Use the food category to find an option that fits your athlete, budget, and allergy needs.
Brands are shown only as concrete examples, not endorsements. Ingredients, labels, and availability can change; check the current package for allergens and fit. Image sources and rights notice.
Quick start
Start here
What actually happens after a coach decides to act: who you tell and in what order, what belongs in a note to the athletic trainer and what must never be…
Order
The default order, and when it flips
- Athlete first, athletic trainer same day, then the parent by phone.
- An emergency, self-harm, or risk at home does not run this order.
Write it
Six fields in the note, and a never-list
- Date, what you saw, how long, what you changed, who knows, the ask.
- Never write a diagnosis, a body, a plate, a cycle, or a teammate.
Meanwhile
Reduce on your own authority, never clear
- Cutting volume or pulling a race needs nobody else's permission.
- No news is not clearance, and only a clinician ever gives it.
TL;DR card
Default order for a non-urgent concern: tell the athlete, then the professional in your building,
then the parent. The outside clinician comes through the family, not through you.
Three situations invert that order
an emergency, a disclosure of self-harm, and anything suggesting the pressure or the risk is coming
from home.
Write observations, dates, and what you changed about training.
Never write a suspicion, a body, a plate, or a cycle.
Your note stops being private the moment you send it.
Write every one as if the family will read it, because they may.
You may always reduce training on your own authority.
You may never clear an athlete. "No news" is not clearance.
Mandatory reporting varies by state and district.
Get your three answers in writing in August, not in October.
First step
Find out today whether your athletic trainer is reachable by text, and get their number into your phone under a name you can find while you are holding a clipboard.
Unlock the rest of the manual
Full access opens every section and the ebook PDF.
Evidence
References
The sources behind this topic, so you can look up the originals.
- 1.Bonci CM, Bonci LJ, Granger LR, et al. National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement: preventing, detecting, and managing disordered eating in athletes. J Athl Train. 2008;43(1):80-108.
- 2.Hornberger LL, Lane MA; Committee on Adolescence. Identification and management of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2021;147(1):e2020040279.
- 3.De Souza MJ, Nattiv A, Joy E, et al. 2014 Female Athlete Triad Coalition consensus statement on treatment and return to play of the female athlete triad. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(4):289.
- 4.Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, et al. IOC consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs): 2023 update. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1073-1097.
- 5.Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations, 34 CFR Part 99 — see § 99.3 (definition of education records, including the sole-possession exclusion), § 99.10 (right to inspect and review), and § 99.31(a)(1) (disclosure to school officials with a legitimate educational interest).
- 6.U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Joint Guidance on the Application of FERPA and HIPAA to Student Health Records.
- 7.Child Welfare Information Gateway. Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect. State Statutes series. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.
What to do next
Use it this week
Is your athletic trainer's number in your phone, and the AD's answer in writing?
Related tool
Reviewed tools
Choose a live tool after the team calendar and responsibilities are confirmed.
Browse reviewed toolsSource topics
referral pathway • athletic trainer • athletic director • school nurse • coach documentation • FERPA coach notes