SAN ANTONIO — When most people think of high school and heat illnesses they often think of sports. But band practice, if outside in the heat, can do a number on the body too.
Northeast ISD says they don't mess around when it comes to extreme heat.
"When it gets really hot, we do [take it seriously]. But otherwise people just try to tough it out," said Samantha Cheetham, who is a senior in the marching band at Claudia Taylor Lady Bird Johnson High School.
Cheetham says that those who tough it out too much are the ones she looks out for when it comes to a heat illness.
"One of the most telltale signs is they start, like, wobbling a little bit and their vision starts to go. So you see them blinking a lot repeatedly," she said.
The school's band director, Robert Lozano told KENS 5 "We can have more time outdoors in the morning versus the afternoon. And then in the afternoon, we all go indoors and then practice music."
The type of surface the kids are practicing on has an impact on their health as well. If you are standing in the sunshine, let's say the temperature is 90 degrees. Under shade it is 78. On the grass it is also 90 degrees like the air. But on the asphalt, it's a blistering 145.
Philip Flynn, fine arts director for NEISD said, "We have an app that all of our directors have a subscription to that notifies them of the weather. And based on that temperature, they set the guidelines regarding how many water breaks must happen and how many minutes in the shade should take place each hour."
Educators and students alike should look out for these heat illness symptoms: headaches. dizziness. heat cramps, exhaustion, heat stroke and loss of consciousness. That's why hydration is key.
"We have full access to water at all times. We have full access to ice at all times," Lozano said.