Wind chill and outdoor recess

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Hello from chilly New England!

I was wondering what protocols other schools follow when it comes to outdoor recess during very cold weather. This year my principal has asked that I make the recommendation about indoor vs. outdoor recess on severely cold days. I have a couple of wind chill charts printed, but I don't know when the cutoff should be made.

Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.

Down in the South were I am from.....if a kid can stick his tongue to a metal pole....and it stick....they ain't going outside. :-) Simple around these parts.

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Specializes in ICU.

They are expecting wind chills this morning of -35 to -45 degrees fahrenheit in MN... Schools are closed. Seems fair ;)

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.
Down in the South were I am from.....if a kid can stick his tongue to a metal pole....and it stick....they ain't going outside. :-) Simple around these parts.

Is it a that a special job like line leader or morning announcer?

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Is it a that a special job like line leader or morning announcer?

Or for the kids who get in trouble?

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.
They do close school sometimes for extreme cold--considering that some kids walk to school and some wait for a bus. But you guys are making me feel like a pioneer woman on the plains. In reality, I'm outside about two minutes three or four times a day as I travel from building to building.

Our school district is closed tomorrow due to single digit temps dipping into the negative with wind chill. :-) Thank you sweet baby Jesus.

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Specializes in Community Health/School Nursing.
Is it a that a special job like line leader or morning announcer?

Yes! Haha!

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I live in the St. Louis, MO area. My kids' school had a policy that it had to be above 20 for outdoor recess. They changed it to 32 because some kids don't show up with a coat. I would say it should depend on how it feels and the windchill. There was a day last year, with lots of sun, and it was 29. It felt nice, but they wouldn't have gone outside because of that number.

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North Texas - Temp/wind chill above 32 degrees for outdoor recess/PE.

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Specializes in ED, School Nurse.

It was -9 F when I woke up this morning, and up to a balmy -7 F by the time I left the house. We did not cancel school, and I never expected them to cancel school for temps like that, unless the heat wasn't working at the school. I did have to speak to a knuckle-headed student about walking to school in sub-zero temps with no jacket (just a sweatshirt) and no gloves as he came in with "numb" fingers- no visible frostbite. We're supposed to get up to 9 F today- it's like a gosh darn heat wave up here!!! (I live in Maine.)

I'm not sure what the elementary schools in our district use as a guideline for outdoor recess. I'm betting they are inside today though, as it is quite windy.

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I have absolutely no idea what the policy is or who is responsible besides the principal at each school. Guess I'll have to do some research.

But why is the school nurse making that decision?

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Specializes in kids.
I have absolutely no idea what the policy is or who is responsible besides the principal at each school. Guess I'll have to do some research.

But why is the school nurse making that decision?

Why are we in charge of handing out tissue boxes?........

Questions that need to be pondered.....:yawn:

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Some of these temps make me chuckle. Our school district in Idaho has a policy regarding temperatures.....they don't ask when to keep kids in or let them go out because it's written into the District Policy. Our schools close when the temperature is -20° or -25° with the windchill. Brrrrrrrr......:nailbiting:

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