Sherman heat policy sets practice limits under statewide UIL mandate

Students in Sherman must have access to water throughout practice, and hotter conditions trigger shorter workouts under Sherman ISD’s published heat policy. Statewide heat-participation guidelines became mandatory for University Interscholastic League member schools on Aug. 1, 2026, according to the league’s announcement.

This article has been reassigned as a separate policy report. The source review did not locate independent primary confirmation of the reported player illness, staff response or family reassurance. Sherman’s policy establishes general requirements; it does not document that incident.

For Sherman students, the district’s rules govern how long practice can last and whether football protective equipment may be worn. The policy also recommends gradually increasing exposure to hot conditions before students face sustained heat. Its cooling-equipment requirements cover outdoor athletics and marching band.

The following provisions appear in Sherman ISD’s policy:

| Condition | District provision |

| --- | --- |

| Becoming accustomed to heat | Gradually increase exposure over 7–10 days |

| Wet-bulb globe temperature reaches 80°F | Keep cold-water immersion tubs or suitable ice-water tarps immediately available |

| Wet-bulb globe temperature is 90.1–92.0°F | Cap practice at 1 hour, including 20 minutes of rest; prohibit football protective equipment and conditioning |

These thresholds use wet-bulb globe temperature, commonly abbreviated WBGT. The National Weather Service explains that the measurement incorporates wind and solar radiation as well as temperature and humidity to assess heat stress in direct sunlight. Heat index uses temperature and humidity for shaded conditions, so the measurements cannot be substituted for each other.

Under UIL’s current plan, schools must measure conditions shortly before practice begins. The monitoring procedures also call for repeated checks during the workout and recommend saving the readings.

| Measurement | UIL timing |

| --- | --- |

| Before practice | Within 15 minutes of the start |

| During practice | Every 30 minutes |

The same UIL plan treats competitions separately. Practice restrictions do not directly apply to contests, but competitions meeting the applicable regional temperature threshold must have rapid-cooling zones available.

The mandate follows earlier changes recorded in UIL’s safety-policy history. The league previously limited preseason days with two practices and revised football acclimatization schedules. It subsequently required emergency action plans for individual athletic venues and shifted its heat guidance from heat-index references to WBGT.

Historical national research provides background on the focus on football practice. A CDC study of high schools during 2005–2009 found that football’s rate of heat illness causing missed participation was about ten times the average for the other sports studied. Those findings do not measure current conditions in Sherman. Most football cases in the study occurred during preseason, and most occurred at practice.