Virginia Code Title 22.1. Education § 22.1-271.10. Guidelines and policies on student-athlete extreme heat safety and protection

1. 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;

2. Include parameters relating to the scheduling of outdoor athletics practices or games during different WBGT levels and establishing the WBGT levels at which outdoor athletics practices or games shall be cancelled;

3. Establish a heat-acclimatization and modification procedure for outdoor athletics practices or games consisting of at least five tiers of procedures for outdoor athletics practices or games based on heat or humidity levels, with the first tier outlining heat-acclimatization and modification procedures for the lowest heat or humidity level requiring special student-athlete safety and protection precautions and the final tier outlining heat-acclimatization and modification procedures for the most severe heat or humidity level before the level at which all outdoor athletics practices or games shall be cancelled pursuant to subdivision 2.  Such tiered heat-acclimatization and modification procedures shall include required equipment modification, if applicable for the sport, modification of work-to-rest ratios, modification of water break requirements, and procedures relating to the use of shaded areas for rest breaks;

4. Require (i) each student-athlete to be given unhindered access at all times to hydration and a cooling space, which may be a shaded or air-conditioned area, and (ii) each student-athlete and each coach to be provided ice at any time there is a WBGT level of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher;

5. Include procedures relating to preventing, recognizing, and addressing heat-related illnesses, including dehydration, heat syncope, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke;  and

6. Establish a process for reporting and investigating any instance in which a student-athlete experiences a severe heat-related illness requiring emergency medical treatment or resulting in death.