Local high schools have plan to keep teens safe in hot weather

CLEVELAND - Even though school hasn't started in the Cleveland School District, football players are practicing for the fall season.

Their coaches are making it a priority to keep these student athletes safe in the hot weather.

During a late July practice, the Glenville High School Tarblooders spent hours in the sun practicing their skills on the field. Temperatures inched close to 90 degrees. They practiced twice that day, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

To keep the 90 players properly hydrated, coaches had four water stations on the field for the players and a thermometer tied to the fence so they could keep an eye on the heat.

"Sometimes you'll hear us yell, everybody get water. Some kids say, I'm ok, I don't need it right now. They don't understand that they are dehydrated," coach Tony Overton said.

Every 20 minutes, the students took water breaks.

"We take it very seriously because of dehydration and what it does, takes all the water out. Especially, they're working out twice a day," Cleveland Athletics Administrator Leonard Jackson said.

Jackson said the district met with coaches already to go over state guidelines and heat safety was a topic they covered.

The players are told they need to drink water before, during and after practice. The message from the district and their coaches is safety first. The players know heat stroke or heat exhaustion can happen quickly if they don't follow this advice.