Coach Jose Aguirre told the Gatesville ISD board that helmet-based impact monitoring produced tangible results this season and offered a path to reduce head injuries among student athletes. "When I played ... this is the single most important and biggest jump I've seen in player safety," Aguirre said, describing the devices and weekly reports staff review.

Aguirre said data from early in the year showed roughly 40% of recorded impacts were to the top of the head, a figure that fell to about 18% in later-month readings after coaches adjusted technique and provided immediate feedback to players. He also told the board the district purchased 19 monitoring-enabled helmets this year and that none of those 19 players sustained a concussion while wearing them. "On a severe impact, we get immediate notification, to get that athlete observed by our athletic trainer," Aguirre said.

Aguirre described a plan to prioritize helmets for players who ‘‘hit more’’ and outlined estimated retail and bulk prices: about $850 retail per helmet but lower per-unit cost when buying larger quantities. He said a community donor — referred to at different points in the transcript as Coreo Health, Corio Health and a similarly spelled donor — has pledged $31,000 to purchase roughly 50 helmets for the district next year, and the coach said he will seek additional donations and internal funding to expand coverage down through junior high and elementary programs.

Board members and other speakers pressed on numbers and distribution. One board member asked whether the district had seen concussions in athletes who did not have the devices; Aguirre said the monitoring helped identify risky impacts and prompt observation, while also acknowledging no safety measure eliminates all risk in contact sports. Speakers supported seeking donations and grants to extend the program.

The presentation underlined a preventive approach the district is pursuing: use data to change coaching habits and then expand protective equipment where funds permit. The district did not present a formal procurement item for additional helmets at this meeting; funding plans were described as a combination of the donor pledge and further fundraising.