Mark R. Madler
The Burbank Unified School board has approved a new policy
determining when students can be outdoors during inclement weather
and when the air's unhealthy to breathe.
The policy sets out what activities students can participate in
depending on the air quality, heat and humidity.
"We discussed it at length to ensure we had what we wanted," Board
President Dave Kemp said.
The policy, put together by a committee of administrators,
physical education teachers and coaches, was first presented to the
board in May. It was sent back for revisions by the committee and was
adopted by the board Thursday.
The district had a general practice on what to do with hot days
and bad- air days but wanted to get something in writing for staff
and students, said Hank Jannace, director of pupil services.
"In recent memory, we haven't had many [air-quality] advisories,"
Jannace said. "But last year because of the [October] fires and the
heat spell in April, we needed to put something in writing to deal
with situations, especially with outdoor programs such as P.E. and
athletics."
Each school will come up with a plan to handle unhealthy air and
inclement weather that must be approved by the district, he added.
Board Vice President Paul Krekorian said the policy does not place
restrictions on breaks for students to rest and have access to water,
although there was recognition that there were differences in outdoor
activities.
"Some P.E. classes would not be conducive to having students go
off at any time for water," Krekorian said. "A football practice
would be at a different standard."
Kemp, a former athletic director at Burbank High School, said the
district's coaches recognized the difference and he was satisfied
there would be adequate access to water.
"We also addressed cold weather, although it is not so much of a
problem," Kemp said.
The policy states that advisability of outdoor activity during
cold weather will be based on wind factor and pupil history of
cold-related illnesses. Precautions to prevent cold- related
illnesses include varying activity levels according to the
temperature, and avoiding prolonged periods of outdoor exposure.
