Schools monitoring heat index for after-school activities
Spectrum News 9 | By: Spectrum News Staff | August 11, 2026
Spectrum Bay News 9 on Tuesday reached out to school districts to ask how they are handling after-school activities considering the weather and heat.
Below are their responses:
Hillsborough County
“Hillsborough County Public Schools utilizes the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) to monitor environmental conditions and assess the risk of heat stress during outdoor athletic and extracurricular activities. The WBGT is a nationally recognized measurement that takes into account several factors, including air temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat from the sun, providing a more accurate assessment of heat-related risk than temperature alone.
Under district guidelines, designated and trained personnel at each school monitor WBGT conditions before outdoor activities begin and communicate those readings to athletic directors, coaches and staff. Based on the WBGT level, schools follow activity modification guidelines that may include increased hydration breaks, additional rest periods, reduced activity intensity, shortened outdoor exposure, or moving activities indoors when conditions warrant.”
Pasco County
“Pasco County Schools is closely monitoring conditions during the current heat advisory. Our schools and athletic programs monitor the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and adjust activities based on conditions at each location. Depending on the WBGT, modifications may include moving to an indoor practice location, additional hydration and rest breaks, reducing the intensity or duration of activities, or delaying or canceling outdoor activities. Student and employee safety remains our priority, and our staff will continue monitoring conditions and making adjustments as necessary throughout the week.”
Citrus County
“Our county activities director has reached out to our athletic directors at each of our secondary schools and athletic trainers at our high schools regarding the Heat Index this week. He has reminded them that they are the lead professionals on assessing the conditions for modifications to practices and hydration breaks for safety measures. We also have Weatherstems at all of our secondary schools that send heat index alerts to our ADs and athletic trainers just like thunderstorms before, during and after practice.”
Hernando County
“The safety of our students remains our highest priority, and our staff always take necessary precautions to ensure a safe environment during practice. Some practices have been altered to accommodate the conditions.”
Sarasota County
“Our district-managed schools use the Perry Weather app, a weather safety and alerting system that aligns PE with the Zachary Martin Act for athletics. The app has lightning detection and heat/WBGT monitoring, among other features.
This allows our schools to have an accurate reading of the conditions at their campus at any time. Those on campus who have the app vary by school level, but typically it is school administrators, Athletic Directors, PE coaches, etc. that have the app in order to make decisions as needed.
Regarding athletic practices and games, Policy 4.19 outlines Sarasota County Schools’ requirements for acclimatization periods, Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer (WBGT) placement and readings, breaks, cooling zones, cold water immersion tubs, and other requirements. This also includes the appropriate FHSAA bylaws around heat.”
We’ll post statements from other Bay area counties as we receive them.
