Conroe ISD is taking extra heat precautions by delaying start times one hour for its varsity football games as daily high temperatures continue to reach daily triple digits.
Varsity games will kickoff at 8 p.m. Friday.
Superintendent Curtis Null said he met with district staff including principals, coaches, nurses and representatives of the Montgomery County Hospital District to focus on the dangers posed by the unrelenting heat.
The hospital district provides emergency medical services for district games.
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The school district is following its heat protocol during school hours but Null said the heat concerns are also an issue for organized events during non-school hours, including football games. The concern, he said, is not just for the athletes and band members, but for spectators as well.
“This is unbelievable,” Null said of the heat. “We understand it creates safety problems. Our number one safety threat right now is the heat.”
To address the heat, Null said moving the start time for the games is critical.
“It gets us a little closer to sundown and get the direct sunlight off of folks in the stadium.”
Montgomery County Hospital District Spokeswoman Misti Willingham said they have not had many heat-related incidents at football games.
“We’ve had a minimal increase in patients,” Willingham said. “Working with (Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management) and Conroe ISD, we’ve been prepared ahead of time and able to mitigate the risk.”
Null said adjustments were being made for the junior varsity games as well as on the junior high level. He urges parents to check with their schools on the changes since they vary by campus.
Other activities including track, cross country, tennis and band are also being adjusted due to the heat.
Null said spectators can watch varsity games through the district’s live stream.
“You can still experience the game without having to come out into the heat,” Null said.
Null said the district will re-evaluate the heat to determine if those start times need to remain pushed back.
