The California Department of Public Health issued guidelines to schools on Tuesday warning them to cancel all outdoor, non-air-conditioned indoor sports if temperatures in their area put them at high or very high levels of risk, according to the National Weather Service Heat Risk Forecast.
Today, a third of the state is at the very high risk level of the forecast, with a small part at the high risk level. Schools in these areas should cancel outdoor activities during the heat of the day and avoid sending students outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
In many school districts, athletic events and practices have been canceled. But in some places, like Sacramento County and Placer County, which are at a very high risk level, football games and practices are continuing, although most have later start times, according to media reports.
State guidelines, intended to supplement existing school emergency plans, emphasize that high-exertion sports, especially soccer, are risky in high temperatures. Heat illness is the third leading cause of death in adolescent athletes, according to the guidelines.
“Rates of exertional heat illness among high school athletes are higher in American football than all other sports combined, with an average of four incidents of heat illness per 100,000 exposures” , as directed.
According to the guidelines, students and athletes exposed to several days of high heat are also more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.
