Virginia school sports heat policy
A Virginia statute says “Each school board shall develop and update” heat safety policies “consistent with” WBGT-based guidelines, such as VHSL’s table. How to read these labels
- Association
- VHSL (Virginia High School League)
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- October 1, 2026
What VHSL’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
The cited document is the Virginia Board of Education’s guidance for the heat policies school boards adopt. It reprints the statute behind it, which says those policies shall “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” and shall require “each student-athlete and each coach to be provided ice at any time there is a WBGT level of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher”. The zones here are VHSL’s own table from that guidance, which follows no regional model: VHSL cancels at 90.0 °F. VHSL’s practice limits are three hours and two hours where the rows here say two and one.
- < 82.5°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 82.5 to under 85°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 85 to under 87.5°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).
- 87.5 to under 90°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 90°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
- The statute’s list for each board’s policy also includes giving every student-athlete “unhindered access at all times to hydration and a cooling space, which may be a shaded or air-conditioned area”.
- The statute’s list also includes “establishing the WBGT levels at which outdoor athletics practices or games shall be cancelled”, so check your school board’s policy for the levels your school uses.
- VHSL’s table has six levels, and this page shows five, because VHSL’s two lowest levels allow the same activity. At its top level, VHSL calls for no outdoor practices, scrimmages or competitions.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “82.5 to under 85°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. VHSL’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 VHSL’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 Virginia
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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