Temperatures forecasted this week are expected to break heat records for this time of year.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — School districts across San Diego County are implementing comprehensive safety measures to protect students during an unusual mid-March heat wave, bringing high temperatures to the region. Four major school districts—Chula Vista Elementary, San Diego Unified, San Marcos Unified, and Cajon Valley—have confirmed they have protocols in place to ensure student safety.

First, districts activate established heat response procedures. The safety measures being implemented are similar across districts. 

“At the Chula Vista Elementary School District, whenever there is a heat advisory, we always send out protocols to our 50 school sites,” district representative Giovanna Castro said. 

In Chula Vista, outdoor activities during the hottest hours are limited. Recess and lunch may move to shaded areas or indoors, and all campuses have air conditioning.

Districts recommend indoor activities and hydration. Officials emphasized the importance of moving students indoors when temperatures spike. 

“We are recommending that outdoor activities take place indoors, in the AC when possible, and for all students to stay hydrated,” Castro said.

Officials said that principals exercise flexibility in scheduling decisions. For example, Cajon Valley, which spans from La Mesa to Alpine, recognizes that conditions vary by campus. That’s why principals have the authority to implement “rainy day schedules,” keeping students inside during extreme weather. San Diego Unified and San Marcos Unified have adopted similar protocols. 

“Right around that 11 o’clock hour, it’s starting to get warm outside. So if administrators are seeing that, they’re going to bring those kids inside for indoor activities,” Mareese Evans with San Marcos Unified said.

Districts also monitor National Weather Service guidelines for danger zones. Evans, the district’s director of risk management, says they’re tracking National Weather Service guidelines, which rate how dangerous conditions are. 

“If it reached the danger zone, everybody has to come inside, and various activities are canceled. Are we at the danger zone yet? We are not,” said Evans.

Schools encourage parents to prepare students adequately, and Districts have reminded parents to send children in weather-appropriate clothing and with refillable water bottles.

New state law requires heat policies by July 1. While most California schools already have heat policies, the state hasn’t required them—until now. Under Senate Bill 1248, all public and charter schools must adopt enforceable extreme-weather safety policies for outdoor activities by July 1. Athletic programs have long had mandates—but there was no statewide standard for general education until this year.