Vermont school sports heat policy
VPA says athletic departments are required to use an on-site WBGT device, or a heat-index chart if cost prohibitive, and lets some schools use a second table. How to read these labels
- Association
- VPA (Vermont Principals' Association)
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT or heat index
- Statewide table
- Yes, two tables shown below
- Last checked
- September 28, 2026
What VPA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
VPA’s heat section says “Athletic Department officials are required to use an on-site Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Measuring (WBGT) Device.” The line below it adds a fallback: “(if cost prohibitive, heat index measuring charts and apps can be used, although considered less accurate than WBGT)”. VPA also asks for an early start: “Measurements should be obtained beginning at least 1 hour prior to the event/warmups and monitored every 30 minutes thereafter if in the moderate to extreme risk category.”
VPA’s Category 1 table
- < 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.
VPA prints all three regional tables but authorizes only two. A school may use the Category 2 ladder only if it actively monitors on site with a WBGT device, has a cold-water-immersion tub prepared, and is rehearsed to cool an athlete rapidly; otherwise Category 1 applies. Paraphrased from VPA's own conditions; check the policy for its exact wording.
VPA’s Category 2 table
- < 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 87.8°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
- VPA’s policy covers “athletic participation in all sports during times of high heat and/or humidity”.
- VPA also says “An on-site Cold Water Immersion (CWI) tub for emergent athlete immersion is required whenever there is a risk of high heat/humidity.”
- For a school without a WBGT device, VPA’s steps are to estimate a WBGT from temperature and humidity with its chart, then use the same WBGT table.
- For games, VPA lists recommended strategies, including “A mandatory water time-out at the mid-way point of each half of play for both teams”.
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. VPA’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 VPA’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 Vermont
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