Kansas school sports heat policy
Kansas schools get a recommended WBGT table for practices and games from KSHSAA, which also says each school “shall have a policy in place”. How to read these labels
- Association
- KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association)
- Label
- WBGT recommended
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 5, 2026
What KSHSAA’s document says
The state association recommends WBGT-based activity modification.
KSHSAA titles this document its recommended practice and competition modification policy, and inside it says “Modifications shall be applied”. The zones here are KSHSAA’s own printed numbers.
- < 80°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 80 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 87.8°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).
- 87.8 to under 89.8°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 89.8°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
- KSHSAA says modifications apply to “any activity taking place outdoors OR in un-airconditioned facilities”. Its two-hour and one-hour bands also list changes for games: extra breaks, shorter sub-varsity games and shorter cross country courses.
- KSHSAA says readings “shall be obtained” whenever the air is 80 degrees or warmer, taken at the site 30 to 60 minutes before activity, and it recommends using a 15-to-20-minute average for the day unless the weather clearly changes.
- In its one-hour band, KSHSAA’s first instruction is “Delay or reschedule any activity until a cooler WBGT is reached”; the one-hour limit applies only “If activity takes place”.
- KSHSAA says each school should have a WBGT monitor, and prints a chart for estimating WBGT from air temperature and humidity when there is none. From its 80 to 84.6 band up, its table lists a cold-water immersion tub or other rapid cooling method “prepared and ready”.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “80 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. KSHSAA’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 KSHSAA’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 Kansas
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.
Suggest a correction