Pittsburgh-area school districts prioritize student-athlete safety during extreme heat

McKEES ROCKS, Pa. (KDKA) — School districts are taking extra steps to keep their student athletes safe in this heat.

This week’s theme for Montour athletes is not to under-hydrate, but to over-hydrate.

“We will be smart and make sure all children are safe.”

As a late-summer heat wave continues to hit the Pittsburgh area, student-athletes are braving the scorching temperatures.

In the Montour School District, football teams are moving forward with practices and games.

“It’s been hot all summer and our boys are acclimatised and fit enough, hopefully, to withstand something like this. We have to do everything we can to try to beat the heat,” says Lou Cerro, Montour’s sporting director.

With safety as a top priority, Cerro says there are guidelines in place to ensure student-athletes can practice and play in these challenging conditions without compromising their health.

“Today we’ll give them more water breaks and reduce the time they run. We’ll make sure they take their helmets off when they can, when they’re not doing anything. We also use Guardian caps, and their helmets are even heavier, so we’ll make sure they take them off.”

Montour is equipped with an athletic trainer on the sidelines to assist with the needs of the players.

Cerro says student-athletes can overlook or ignore symptoms of heat stress or dehydration, so he appreciates coaches being there to help keep players safe.

“Our coaches are very committed and they know what’s going on,” Cerro said. “We will always turn to them for any injury or anything that happens, especially in this case.”

Montour will face Moon on Friday. Temperatures are expected to return to around 32°C.