SARANAC, Mich. — As West Michigan starts September with heat and humidity, Saranac Community Schools is doing its part to keep student-athletes safe as fall sports get underway.
WATCH: Hot start to September prompts extra precautions for Saranac student-athletes
FOX 17 Weather Ready Meteorologist Kara James says Tuesday is expected to be the hottest Sept. 1 in West Michigan since 2011.
With high school athletics in full swing, Saranac school leaders say student safety remains their top priority.
Saranac Community Schools Superintendent Jason Smith says the district follows guidelines from the Michigan High School Athletic Association when making decisions about practices and competitions during hot and humid conditions.
“Michigan High School Athletic Association does a great job at providing documentation and protocols for different heat index levels and we use that just to make sure that we’re keeping students, parents, coaches, and everybody safe,” Smith said.
So, what does that look like for athletes in Saranac?
For the cross-country team, which practices and competes earlier in the day than some of the school’s other sports, hydration and ways to cool down are key.
Saranac High School Athletic Director Kellan Smith says the school has several hydration and cooling stations set up for athletes.
“We have water stations set up down at the starting course, we’ve got water stations for the high schoolers about halfway through their course,” Kellan Smith said.
The school also plans to turn on sprinklers at the baseball field so athletes can cool off after their races.
For Saranac’s other outdoor sports, school officials say decisions about practices and competitions are made on a case-by-case basis depending on the heat and humidity.
"It's going to be a lot of checking your weather app, going through calling MHSAA to make sure you have an understanding of what the rule is, and what you need to do next,” Kellan Smith said.
MHSAA heat and humidity guidelines and resources are available here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
