LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Jefferson County Public Schools canceled all outdoor middle and elementary school sports for the rest of the week as dangerous heat indexes arrive in the Louisville area.
Dr. April Brooks, director of athletics at JCPS, said in a news conference Wednesday that volleyball will be the only sport that remains in session.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association requires all outdoor activities to be stopped if the heat index rises above 104 degrees. If the heat index is 100 degrees to 104 degrees, mandatory water breaks are required every 30 minutes that allow for 10 minutes of hydration.
The forecast this week calls for it to reach at least 107 degrees Thursday and Friday. Brooks said high school football games held Friday night won’t start before 7:30 p.m. in an effort to let those temperatures fall a bit. As those high school teams practice all week and during those games Friday, she said a number of cautionary measures will be on hand, including cold immersion tubs showing signs of heat illness like headaches, cramping, vomiting, etc.
Some schools, like Moore High School have even voluntarily moved practice indoors. Students have different parts of the school to practice conditioning, including the football team.
“They can still practice but we know that they’re safe and not worried about them passing out or getting ill and calling an ambulance,” Brooks said.
The school plans to keep practice indoors the rest of the week.
As for its Friday football game against Frankfort High School, the teams have mutually agreed to push that back to 8:30 p.m., allowing temperatures to cool and time to warm up.
Brooks and Dwayne Waters, the Moore High School Athletic Director, stress that the extra measures are necessary for kids’ safety.
An annual summer race still honors the legacy of a Louisville teenager who died from heat stroke 15 years ago. Max Gilpin died at 15 years old from heat stroke during football practice at Pleasure Ridge Park High School. Even after being transported in an air conditioned ambulance, Gilpin’s body temperature inside the hospital was 107, where he later died.
Dr. Jennifer Daily, a sports medicine and primary care physician with UofL Health, said symptoms of heat stroke can be excessive sweating, being confused, lightheadedness and slow reactions.
Several Indiana high schools, including Charlestown and Jeffersonville, have moved football games to Saturday, originally scheduled for Friday.
The heat has played a role in many aspects of the school day already this week. JCPS leaders said Tuesday that about a dozen of its newer buses have air conditioning, but many don’t. JCPS has also delivered bottled water to schools and bus depots with the latest dismissal and transfer times.
For the latest weather forecast from the WDRB weather team, click here.
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