Is there scholarships available for cheerleading?
Yes there are. Quite a bit of them too! Both male and female.
This continues to go back to the long-held thought that concussions only occurred in football. Obviously that isn't true and if anybody still believes that, then they need to wake up. Concussions are a serious matter in all sports. Cheerleading is also pretty high on the list for concussions in female sports. This is likely due to the increased nature of tumbling and stunting that leads to falls. Cheerleading today is unlike the cheerleading of old. It is now much more like gymnastics with team spirit mixed in. The injury rates overall remain relatively low in cheerleading compared to other sports, however the sport is the leader in high school female sports for catastrophic injury accounting for an estimated 65% of all catastrophic injuries in that population. I think the likely main reason that the overall injury rate is rather low in cheer is because it remains on the "outside" with regards to athletics and the injury reporting systems remain poor.
The parents and kid are obviously making a poor decision. The coach is also making a poor decision from both a personal standpoint (think about the kid's safety!) but also from a liability standpoint. If she has not been cleared by a doctor and the coaches allows her to participate, then she is likely violating a doctor's order. If something really unfortunate were to happen, the coach's name would be the first listed on the lawsuit.
I believe something like 47 of the 50 states have some sort of "athlete concussion law" however each state's law has flaws in them. As Coach mentioned, most often things like "showcase cheerleading" do not have to abide by the law. They only apply to certain high school sports most often. Senator Durbin from Illinois has introduced a bill that would create a federal law mandating states meet certain requirements with their laws. We'll see how that goes.
I don't send all concussed athletes to the doctor, but I have gotten to where I send a large majority of them. Most often, they are cleared by the doctor to "begin return to play protocol under supervision of the athletic trainer" and then are allowed to be cleared when I am ready. I utilize ImPACT testing and kids must complete a progressive return to play process before full competition.