                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

GUIDELINES AND POLICIES ON STUDENT-ATHLETE EXTREME HEAT SAFETY AND PROTECTION
(§ 22.1-271.10)

A. The Board shall develop, biennially review and update as necessary, and
distribute to each local school division guidelines on policies relating to
extreme heat safety and protection for student-athletes that inform coaches,
student-athletes, and student-athletes&#8217; parents of risks associated with
and best-practices and strategies for ensuring the safety and protection of
student-athletes when engaging in outdoor physical activity in times of extreme
heat.

B. Each school board shall develop and update, in accordance with the guidelines
developed by the Board pursuant to subsection A, policies on student-athlete
extreme heat safety and protection. Such policies shall:

   1. Be consistent with any heat guidelines based on Wet Bulb Globe Temperature
   (WBGT) levels developed by an organization or entity whose purpose it is to
   regulate or govern interscholastic athletics programs in the Commonwealth;

   2. Include parameters relating to the scheduling of outdoor athletics
   practices or games during different WBGT levels and establishing the WBGT
   levels at which outdoor athletics practices or games shall be cancelled;

   3. Establish a heat-acclimatization and modification procedure for outdoor
   athletics practices or games consisting of at least five tiers of procedures
   for outdoor athletics practices or games based on heat or humidity levels,
   with the first tier outlining heat-acclimatization and modification procedures
   for the lowest heat or humidity level requiring special student-athlete safety
   and protection precautions and the final tier outlining heat-acclimatization
   and modification procedures for the most severe heat or humidity level before
   the level at which all outdoor athletics practices or games shall be cancelled
   pursuant to subdivision 2. Such tiered heat-acclimatization and modification
   procedures shall include required equipment modification, if applicable for
   the sport, modification of work-to-rest ratios, modification of water break
   requirements, and procedures relating to the use of shaded areas for rest
   breaks;

   4. Require (i) each student-athlete to be given unhindered access at all times
   to hydration and a cooling space, which may be a shaded or air-conditioned
   area, and (ii) each student-athlete and each coach to be provided ice at any
   time there is a WBGT level of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher;

   5. Include procedures relating to preventing, recognizing, and addressing
   heat-related illnesses, including dehydration, heat syncope, heat exhaustion,
   and heat stroke; and

   6. Establish a process for reporting and investigating any instance in which a
   student-athlete experiences a severe heat-related illness requiring emergency
   medical treatment or resulting in death.

HISTORY: 2025, cc. 478, 493.