West Virginia school sports heat policy
WVSSAC’s policy, written as a requirement, sets WBGT limits and has schools check WBGT at every practice and conditioning session, indoors and out, all year. How to read these labels
- Association
- WVSSAC (West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission)
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 27, 2026
What WVSSAC’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
WVSSAC’s policy “describes required practices”: monitoring at the start of each practice or conditioning session and every 30 minutes during it, “using a Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer (WBGT) device”, recorded on paper or in the device. It covers in-season, out-of-season and summer activity, indoor as well as outdoor. The zones shown here are WVSSAC’s own, and its policy names where they come from: it “was developed using information provided by the Korey Stringer Institute”. WVSSAC’s table puts 92.0 °F in its one-hour band and starts “No outdoor workouts” above it. This card starts that top band at 92.0 °F, a tenth of a degree earlier.
- < 82°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 82 to under 87°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 87 to under 90°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).
- 90 to under 92°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 92°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
- WVSSAC’s policy also sets a football acclimatization schedule: helmets only on days 1 and 2, helmets and shoulder pads on days 3 and 4, full pads with soft contact on day 5, and full contact on day 6.
- The WVSSAC Board of Directors approved the policy on May 17, 2022, and it was revised in spring 2024.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “82 to under 87°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. WVSSAC’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 WVSSAC’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 West 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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