Oklahoma schools prepare for extreme heat with new sports safety measures

Metro district’s heat policies: 

Across the metro, students will head back to school this week, meaning they’ll also be resuming after-school practices. For many Fall sports, that means training in the heat. 

Most districts in the metro have plans in place when temperatures reach extreme levels. Certified athletic trainers will monitor temperatures every 30 minutes to determine the level of risk for athletes throughout practices. Districts also require coaches to provide adequate water breaks and constantly monitor their athletes.

“We go based on our wet bulb globe temperature. At certain temperatures, they will go inside; at other temperatures, there are different restrictions,” said Taylor Bracci with Moore Public Schools. 

OSSAA Heat Policy Vote

On Wednesday, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activity Association, or OSSAA, will be meeting to vote on a statewide extreme heat policy. 

The OSSAA emphasizes that exertional heat-related illness is the leading cause of preventable death among high school students engaged in athletic or activity programs.

Key Policy Highlights:

1. Mandatory Training: All athletic coaches must annually complete "A Guide to Heat Acclimatization and Heat Illness Prevention" through NFHSLearn.com, and marching band directors must complete the Band Safety course. A certificate of completion must be retained on file at each member school.
2. Practice Time Limits: Preseason sessions are capped at 2.5 hours per session, with a mandatory one-hour rest period before or between sessions. Daily maximum practice time is limited to 5 hours. Only strength training may fall outside this calculation (i.e., if the coach is present, that counts toward the 5-hour limit). If a session is interrupted (e.g., due to weather or heat restrictions) and split, the total time for that session still must not exceed 2.5 hours.
3. Acclimatization Requirements: The policy defines a 14-day acclimatization period at the start of the season or when a student begins practice, whichever is later. All participants must follow these initial-day guidelines. Notably, speed, strength, or conditioning programs do not count toward this acclimatization period.

The new Extreme Heat Policy is currently pending board approval on August 13, 2025, and is expected to be adopted for the 2025–26 academic year.

Parents' part in athletes’ health: 

While coaches and trainers are constantly monitoring athletes, athletic trainers say parents can also play a crucial role. They're encouraged to explain the signs of heat exhaustion to their kids and tell them to speak up.

“As a student athlete, it's really important that you are paying attention to what your body is telling you,” said Loida Haffener Salmond, Executive Director of the Red Cross Central and Southwest Oklahoma Chapter.

“The best rule of thumb, because everybody is so different, is to be prepared,” said Umo Callins, a sports dietician and fitness coach. 

“Just have a talk with your child, let them know what they need to do and what to avoid, and signs of it so they're prepared and they can be more encouraged to try to prevent that from happening in the first place,” said Callins.  

Importance of proper hydration: 

“Really encourage your child to stay hydrated from the moment they wake up. So being ahead of the game is really ideal versus trying to have that reactive approach. Our messaging is very, very consistent and very frequent: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” said Callins. “Everybody's needs are gonna vary depending on how much they sweat and how much they need to replenish.” 

She says a good place to start is to divide your kid's weight in half and ensure they’re drinking that many ounces of water daily. If your child is active outside for more than an hour, switch them over to electrolytes. 

“You're looking for sports drinks that actually have an effective formulation, so ideally, 200 mg per 16 oz is what we're looking for. Everybody's different in their sweat, so it can be anywhere from a loss of 200- 2,000 mg lost in one liter of sweat,” said Callins.

Importance of food and sleep: 

It’s not just about hydration, though; there are lots of other things you can do to prepare, including adequate sleep and a good diet. 

“Rest, sleep, you can't beat that. That is where the magic happens for recovery,” said Callins. 

“I really think it comes down to how you fuel your body. Just be mindful to have balanced meals, thinking about those types of options that you can give your youth athlete, your child, throughout the day, especially as they're going back to school, because sometimes you just don't know what they're gonna get,” said Callins. “Carbohydrates, things like pretzels, crackers, those are really great options. Just really prioritizing, figuring out what's going to work, what's going to be quick but also what's going to be complete, that could be a smoothie,” said Callins.  

“Making sure that they do have a solid, balanced lunch, having some snacks when they are allowed to in between those meal times, and then also making sure that what they fuel with prior to their performance session, whether it be a sport or something else, is adequate,” said Callins.

She says adding carbs along with salty snacks can help fuel athletes.  

“Deli meat, adding some pickles, some fruits, maybe even fermented vegetables because those naturally have some salt in them. Let athletes know; come with water, come with sports drinks, make sure you're hydrating throughout the day, eat the salty foods,” said Callins.  

Signs of heat-related illnesses: 

“You just feel like your heart is racing, it's really hard for it to come down even when you've rested for a while, headaches, severe cramping, maybe even feeling dizzy, lightheaded, those are all some indications that we're pretty dehydrated,” said Callins.

“If they start to progress and continue to get worse, then that's when you want to seek medical attention, of course, but as soon as you start to feel those signs and symptoms of dehydration and just being overheated, you want to act quickly,” said Callins. 

Recovery from heat-related illnesses: 

“There's a lot of different variables that go into the length of recovery. So, for a child, it really just depends on how dehydrated they really are, and how long they've been exposed to that heat

“Having too much water, especially for active individuals, be it kids or adults, and not replenishing with electrolytes, specifically sodium, that's the number one electrolyte that we use in our sweat in the highest concentration. Big picture: fluid and electrolytes, things like chocolate milk count, believe it or not, juice,” said Callins.  

“As little as 1% dehydration in kids is when we can really start to see those symptoms show up. So a lot of people don't realize how quickly that can happen; it's 1-2% in adults. The best rule of thumb, because everybody is so differen,t is to be prepared,” said Callins. 

It’s important to seek medical help if heat-related illness symptoms progress quickly. As everybody is built and operates differently, dieticians can help provide individualized diet plans.