Too hot for school? How Northern California schools are keeping students safe in summer scorcher
SACRAMENTO — As a new school year starts up, the weather is also heating up. Students are dealing with triple-digit temperatures that are requiring schools to make changes to keep kids safe.
"We bring students in from out on the blacktop and playground and have them in the cafeteria doing activities," said Melinda Meza, the director of communications for the Stockton Unified School District.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for San Joaquin County this week, which has Stockton Unified following the California Department of Public Health's "magenta" guidelines.
The heat is expected to climb so high this week that Stockton Unified is recommending recess, P.E. and sports practices move indoors.
"We always want to have a plan B," said Meza. "If an air conditioner were to go out in a certain classroom, we would move that classroom to perhaps a library or cafeteria where there is AC."
They have not had to do that this school year but are ready with a plan if it came to this.
"That's when they learn the most," said Meza. "When they are fed, when they are comfortable, when they are safe."
The district is also offering water bottles to students as they get on school buses to make sure they are hydrated. Athletes are also taking extreme precautions to make sure they are being safe on the field.
"They know how hot it's going to be today, so their job is to prepare themselves for the heat," said Larry Morla, the head coach for Christian Brothers High School.
Hydration happens days in advance of hitting the football field.
"Especially out here on the turf and with the helmets and gear," said Morla. "They feel more than 100 degrees."
A 100-degree day can feel sometimes 40 to 70 degrees hotter while on the turf.
"Practice isn't too long, it's less than two hours," Morla said.
Morla told CBS13 that if it reaches 110 degrees, they move the practice indoors. The same goes for P.E. He said that most activities in the fall are inside to avoid the heat.
"We teach kids how to properly hydrate, how to properly eat throughout the heat and to prepare for any type of heat exhaustion," said Morla.
Coaches and staff on school campuses are taught to look out for the warning signs of heat-related illnesses, some include headaches, dizziness, redness and nausea.
