Here's what Salina schools are doing to keep students safe amid excessive heat warning

Salina Public Schools is asking parents, students and the general public to take extra precautions this week as an excessive heat warning persists and above 100-degree temperatures hover in central Kansas.

Respective schools in USD 305 have sent out advisories to students and their families in regard to best practices and tips for keeping children safe in the heat.

Among other precautions, the schools have pushed sports practices into the early morning and late evening hours, and elementary schools are monitoring conditions for recess. Teachers and administrators are encouraging students to bring water bottles and stay hydrated throughout the day.

"We really want to help students and their families be safe," said Jennifer Camien, SPS communications director.

School district asks students and parents to be mindful of the heat this week

Parents received emails from administrators notifying them that the schools will monitor the heat and that outdoor activities for elementary-age students will be hard to come by this week.

An email to Stewart Elementary families said the school will be especially vigilant when it comes to recess. Teachers are equipped with "Risk Management Heat Guidelines" to guide decision making.

"Please send a water bottle with your child daily," the email said. "We will use the same precautions as in other inclement weather when determining whether or not to do recess outdoors or indoors."

Heusner Elementary principal Lori Munsell also sent an advisory to parents, reminding them to have their children drink plenty of water.

"Safety is our number one priority," Munsell said.

On Aug. 22, a message was sent to all bus-riding families in the district reminding parents that Durham's buses are not air conditioned.

"With these extreme temperatures we are experiencing, we want to remind you that Durham's buses are not air conditioned," the district's statement said. "If possible, we encourage you to pick up your child from school on days with extreme heat in order to keep our bus routes as short as possible. Thank you for entrusting your child to our care."

Salina schools make changes to sports practice times

Practice times for fall sports have been adjusted this week and respective teams will be notified of the changes if they haven't already.

Salina Central High School football practices are pushed to start at 7 p.m. and go until 9 p.m. Salina Central cross country will begin practice at 6 a.m. this week, and Central girls golf will practice indoors this week.

Salina South High School football had a morning practice outside in shoulder pads and helmets, and an afternoon practice indoors with tennis shoes. This half-indoor, half-outdoor model will continue throughout the week.

The district, like all 354 Kansas State High School Activities Association members, has been adjusting to a new wet bulb globe temperature device. The KSHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee updated the organization’s recommended activity modification policy with values from the wet bulb globe device, replacing heat index values. According to KSHSAA, the new device provides a more precise temperature than heat indexes.

How long will high temperatures last?

Wednesday: Mostly sunny and hot with a high near 106 degrees with a southwest wind 8 to 10 mph. Then partly cloudy in the evening with an overnight low of around 78 degrees.

Thursday: Sunny and hot with a high near 107 degrees and a southwest wind 8 to 13 mph. Then mostly clear in the evening with an overnight low of around 77 degrees.

Friday: Sunny and hot with a high near 106 degrees. Then a 20% chance of showers in the evening with an overnight low of around 73 degrees.

Saturday: Mostly sunny with a high near 95 degrees with a 20% chance of showers before 1 p.m. Then partly cloudy with an overnight low around 66 and a 20% chance of showers after 1 a.m.

The forecast is according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter (now known as "X") @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: High heat prompts Salina schools to change sports practices, recess