As the heat wave continues, the Springfield Public School District is working to make sure students stay safe.
SPS Athletics and Activities Director Joshua Scott said the heat is a struggle every year around this time. The latest stretch of highs in the upper 90s has been a bit unusual.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association mandates that schools take wet bulb measurements with a special thermometer to ensure it’s safe for athletes and musicians to be outside. The wet bulb temperature "is a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover (solar radiation). This differs from the heat index, which takes into consideration temperature and humidity and is calculated for shady areas," according to the National Weather Service. Depending on the reading, there are certain protocols schools must follow. But Scott said they’ve made schedule changes even without taking those readings into consideration.
"We've moved practices to mornings before school. We've moved practices to after 6 p.m. at night to play whenever the hottest part of the day is over," he said. "And it's, you know, it's not overly convenient for students, coaches or parents bringing kids back to school, but it's the safe thing to do and the only way that we can practice if we want to practice outside."
Marching bands have foregone their heavy uniforms in favor of polos and t-shirts. Coaches are having players practice with just their helmets and shoulder pads on instead of their full uniform.
Scott said he worries about student athletes, including cross country teams that are out running up to 35 miles a week.
SPS contracts with Mercy Sports Medicine to ensure students are safe.
"We have eight different athletic trainers for our five high schools," Scott said. "And then they're also responsible for their feeder patterns. They work five days a week or six days if we have games and events on Saturdays. If there is a practice on campus, you can be assured that we have Mercy Sports Medicine somewhere near."
Scott said they’re holding JV games later in the evening than usual, which means varsity games are starting late, too. And they’ve had to cancel some games.
