Delaware school sports heat policy
DIAA’s WBGT policy, revised in Fall 2025, says schools “must follow” it for any activity that is not in a climate-controlled facility. How to read these labels
- Association
- DIAA (Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association)
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 4, 2026
What DIAA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
DIAA’s policy says “All DIAA Secondary Schools must follow this DIAA policy for any activity that does not occur in a climate-controlled facility.” Its Fall 2025 revision removed an earlier temperature-and-humidity table and the option of another instrument, so the zones here are DIAA’s WBGT table alone, in DIAA’s own numbers. DIAA’s table leaves one reading in no band (79.7 °F); this card shows it in the band below it. In its 87.7 to 89.6 °F band, DIAA’s table allows practice only with a qualified health care professional present, and it bars protective equipment and conditioning in football and lacrosse and for field hockey goalies.
- < 79.8°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 79.8 to under 84.7°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 84.7 to under 87.7°FReduced: cap 2 h
Cap practice at 2 hours. Football: helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts only (pads off for conditioning). 4+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min).
- 87.7 to under 89.7°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 89.7°FCancel outdoor activity
No outdoor workouts: delay or cancel until the WBGT drops to a cooler level.
This is a plain-language summary to help you plan. It is not legal advice, and it is not the association’s document. Associations revise these policies often. Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association.
What else to know
- DIAA lists who may manage the readings, from an athletic trainer or school nurse to a person the athletic director appoints, and has them taken “on the field of participation” at least every hour, starting 30 minutes before practice or competition, and recorded.
- DIAA says cold-water immersion tubs, or a tarp where a tub is not feasible, “shall be available at all venues when the WBGT reading is >79.8°F”.
- On days with two practices, DIAA says “two practices cannot occur in moderate or greater heat restrictions”: if the WBGT reaches 84.7 degrees during the first, a second may happen only if it stays at 84.6 degrees or less for all of it.
- DIAA’s table covers games too: at its top level, “Competition should be postponed for 30 minutes followed by another WBGT reading”, and the game should not resume until the reading falls out of that top level.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “79.8 to under 84.7°F” includes the first number and stops just below the second. The short activity notes in each row are a general guide, worded the same on every state page. DIAA’s document may word its limits differently or add rest breaks, equipment and water rules, so open it for the exact rules.
Before you rely on this
- This page summarizes DIAA’s document. It does not replace it. If they differ, go by the document and by the policy your school or league has adopted.
- Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association. Many schools adopt their own version.
- Any WBGT number WetBulbTracker shows is a modeled estimate for planning, not an official reading. Where a policy calls for an on-site reading, that reading governs.
- This page does not replace an athletic trainer’s judgment.
Live heat readings in Delaware
Suggest a correction
Associations update these documents, often before the fall season. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us a link to the current document and we will re-check it.
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