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 Bill Text - AB-2503 California Interscholastic Federation: pupil health: heat illness: guidelines.

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 |Add To My Favorites |Track Bill | Version: 04/13/26 - Amended Assembly
 02/20/26 - Introduced

 AB-2503 California Interscholastic Federation: pupil health: heat illness: guidelines.(2025-2026)

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 Date Published: 04/13/2026 02:00 PM

AB2503:v98#DOCUMENTBill Start

 Amended
 IN 
 Assembly
 April 13, 2026

 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

 Assembly Bill

No. 2503

Introduced by Assembly Member Wallis

February 20, 2026

 An act to amend Section 35179.8 of the Education Code, relating to interscholastic athletic programs. 

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2503, as amended, Wallis.
 California Interscholastic Federation: pupil health: heat illness: guidelines.

Existing law describes the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) as a voluntary organization that consists of school and school-related personnel with responsibility for administering interscholastic athletic activities in secondary schools, and sets forth the Legislature’s intent regarding the CIF’s implementation of certain policies. Existing law requires the CIF, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to develop guidelines, procedures, and safety standards for the prevention and management of exertional heat illness. Pursuant to that requirement, the CIF has established Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) thresholds for outdoor practices and contests, including, for among other regions, Region Category 3 where the CIF prohibits outdoor activities at WBGT readings exceeding 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, the CIF to revise those guidelines for schools located in extreme desert climates within Region Category 3 to (1) instead permit outdoor practices and contests up to a WBGT of 93.5 degrees Fahrenheit if additional safety measures are implemented and (2) define eligibility for those schools based on objective climatic data, as provided. The bill would authorize the threshold in the guidelines for those schools to be raised above a WBGT of 93.5 degrees Fahrenheit based on updated peer-reviewed research, but would prohibit the threshold from being lowered below a WBGT of 93.5 degrees Fahrenheit. and annually thereafter, the CIF to review and update as necessary the guidelines, procedures, and safety standards, with special consideration for regions of the
 state with higher average temperatures.

Digest Key

 Vote:
 MAJORITY 
 Appropriation:
 NO 
 Fiscal Committee:
 NO 
 Local Program:
 NO 

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has established regional categories based on climate to guide Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) thresholds for outdoor practices and contests, with Category 3 regions, including extreme desert areas, currently prohibiting outdoor activities at WBGT readings of 92.1 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

(b) In acclimatized desert regions, where pupils and communities routinely experience prolonged high temperatures, the current 92.1 degrees Fahrenheit threshold is overly restrictive and
 forces practices into late evening hours.

(c) Late-evening practices disrupt family time, create logistical challenges for transportation and supervision, exhaust pupil-athletes, and contribute to decreased participation in youth sports at a critical time when maintaining engagement in physical activity is essential for health and well-being.

(d)Establishing a specialized regional category for extreme desert climates that would allow outdoor practices with enhanced safety protocols when the WBGT is up to 93.5 degrees Fahrenheit will better balance pupil health protections with practical considerations while remaining grounded in evidence-based heat illness prevention standards.

SEC. 2.

 Section 35179.8 of the Education Code is amended to read:

35179.8.

 (a) (1) In order to better protect student athletes participating in athletics, no later than on or before July 1, 2024, the California Interscholastic Federation, in consultation with the department, shall develop guidelines, procedures, and safety standards for the prevention and management of exertional heat illness.

(2) On or before July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the California