Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 700 By: Rader
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to school athletics; defining terms;
7 directing the State Department of Education and the
8 State Department of Health to jointly develop and
8 post on certain websites guidelines, policies,
9 procedures, and safety standards regarding exertional
9 heat-related illness; providing for minimum contents
10 of guidelines; directing school district governing
10 bodies to develop certain emergency action plan;
11 allowing school districts to hold informational
11 meetings; providing for codification; providing an
12 effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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16 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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17 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 27-107 of Title 70, unless there
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18 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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19 A. As used in this section:
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20 1. "Acclimatization period" means a specific period of time to
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21 allow for students' bodies to adapt and work towards the elimination
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22 of exertional heat-related illnesses and deaths within secondary
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23 schools;
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1 2. "Exertional heat-related illness" means a serious medical
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2 condition that results from the body's inability to cool itself in
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3 extremely hot environments. Exertional heat-related illnesses
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4 include exertional heatstroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat
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5 syncope, heat rash, and muscle breakdown;
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6 3. "Athletic trainer" shall have the same meaning as provided
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7 for in Section 1-116 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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8 4. "Practice" means the act of school personnel directly or
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9 indirectly giving individual or team instruction concerning
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10 fundamentals, conditioning activities, and workouts;
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11 5. "School district" means a school district or public charter
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12 school that offers interscholastic secondary school athletics and
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13 activities;
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14 6. "Student" means a secondary-school-age individual who is
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15 participating in an activity or sport which is individual- or team-
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16 based, outside of school or within school, and competitive or in an
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17 organized practice; and
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18 7. "Wet Bulb Globe Temperature" (WBGT) means a measure of how
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19 much heat stress a person is experiencing in direct sunlight, which
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20 takes into account atmospheric factors including temperature,
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21 humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover.
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22 B. The State Department of Education and the State Department
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23 of Health shall jointly develop and post on their publicly
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24 accessible websites guidelines, policies, procedures, and safety
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Req. No. 1203 Page 2
1 standards for the prevention and management of exertional heat-
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2 related illness in students' interscholastic athletics and
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3 activities. The guidelines developed pursuant to this section shall
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4 include, but not be limited to:
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5 1. Identification of environmental conditions at which a public
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6 school district that offers athletics or activities shall limit or
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7 prohibit practice and play using the acclimatization period for all
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8 athletics and activities with a specific set of guidelines dedicated
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9 to football. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to,
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10 teams having eighteen (18) days to complete fourteen practices. The
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11 eighteen days start prior to the team's first scrimmage, not
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12 including intrasquad scrimmages; and
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13 2. Information regarding the accurate measurement of
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14 environmental heat stress at the site of the athletics or activities
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15 including the use of Web Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). WBGT
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16 readings shall be taken on the practice site of athletics or
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17 activities a minimum of every hour, beginning thirty minutes prior
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18 to the beginning of practice. All readings shall be recorded. If a
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19 modification or cancellation to athletics or activities is required,
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20 documentation using the WBGT Heat Participation Policy Record Chart
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21 shall be completed.
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22 C. The governing body of each school district shall develop a
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23 venue-specific exertional heat-related illness emergency action
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24 plan. Each school district shall include guidelines formulated by
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Req. No. 1203 Page 3
1 the WBGT index to assess environmental conditions and heat stress
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2 prevention for students participating in athletics and activities,
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3 criteria for the establishment of cooling zones, hydration
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4 guidelines, modifications for competitions and scrimmages, and
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5 evidence-based practices to treat exertional heat-related illnesses
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6 associated with athletics and activities.
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7 D. School districts that offer athletics and activities may
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8 hold an informational meeting prior to the start of each athletic
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9 season for all ages of competitors and their parents and legal
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10 guardians regarding the warning signs, symptoms, and treatment of
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11 exertional heat-related illness.
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12 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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13 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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14 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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15 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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16 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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18 60-1-1203 EB 1/19/2025 5:41:38 AM
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Req. No. 1203 Page 4Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.