Arlington Public Schools is kicking off the school year with a more nuanced approach to curtailing athletic activity for hot and humid weather.
School Board members have adopted a new policy designating the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) as the benchmark covering athletic contests and practices.
The vote, taken as part of the Board’s consent agenda on Thursday, brings APS into alignment with a state law that took effect July 1.
School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton didn’t discuss the matter extensively, but said that Superintendent Francisco Durán had developed a policy-implementation procedure, or PIP, to put the change into action.
A new state law requires school divisions to use WBGT or something similar for determining when weather conditions require alterations to games and practices.
The calculation takes into account air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, cloud cover and sun angle to determine a total score spread over six levels.
The Virginia High School League has adopted WBGT as its standard. The organization is recommending, but not requiring, that participating school divisions use it.
Depending on risk level, precautions range from mandating additional fluid consumption to moving practice sessions indoors.
While the WBGT formula will be new for Virginia, it dates back more than 70 years. It was developed, in part, to stem what had been a growing number of heat-related training deaths in the military in the early 1950s.
Legislation patroned in the 2025 General Assembly session by Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and Del. Michael Jones — both Richmond-area Democrats — mandated the use of WGBT or something commensurate.
The bills picked up some Republican opposition, mostly in the Senate, but ultimately passed both houses and were signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
They require the Board of Education to oversee the development and implementation of guidelines, and mandate adherence by local school districts.
