South Dakota school sports heat policy
SDHSAA publishes two heat documents that disagree, and we have not confirmed which one governs, so the table we show is only a general guide. How to read these labels
- Association
- SDHSAA (South Dakota High School Activities Association)
- Document
- Source unconfirmed
- Label
- Source unconfirmed
- Reading it uses
- Not confirmed
- Statewide table
- General guide only
- Last checked
- Not yet confirmed
Source unconfirmed. We have not confirmed which SDHSAA document schools follow. The table below is a general guide from the Korey Stringer Institute / Grundstein regional model, not SDHSAA’s numbers. Ask SDHSAA or your district which chart applies.
What we know about SDHSAA’s heat guidance
We haven't confirmed this association's own published WBGT table. The zones below are a general guide from the Korey Stringer Institute / Grundstein regional model, not this association's numbers.
SDHSAA publishes WBGT material in two places and they do not agree, so the zones here are the Korey Stringer Institute / Grundstein general guide rather than SDHSAA’s numbers. Its Athletic Handbook (revised 6/26) prints one flat ladder, from normal activity below 82 to no outdoor workouts at “92.1 and above”, and in the same sentence points you to the “Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer Guidelines” chart in the health section of sdhsaa.com. That chart prints three regional columns instead and tells you to look up your own region; on its own map South Dakota straddles two of them, Class 1 across the west and center and Class 2 across the east, with no part of the state in Class 3. Neither document says which governs, so we have not picked one. The zones here are the Class 1 column: the one SDHSAA’s own map puts most of the state in, and the earlier-triggering of the two, so schools in the east may find them cautious. Ask SDHSAA or your district which chart your school follows before relying on any of these numbers.
- < 76.2°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 76.2 to under 81°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 81 to under 84°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).
- 84 to under 86°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 86°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
- SDHSAA’s handbook frames its WBGT precautions as recommended, and its regional chart calls itself guidelines.
- We also checked SDHSAA’s by-laws, its 2025-26 board minutes and its April 2026 Sports Medicine Advisory Committee agenda. None has a heat rule or says which chart governs.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “76.2 to under 81°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.
Before you rely on this
- This page summarizes what we know about SDHSAA’s heat guidance. It does not replace SDHSAA’s own documents. If they differ, go by them 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 South Dakota
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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