Following in Mississippi's footsteps,

Shelby County School Superintendent Bobby Webb shows that he is smart.

No student of his can be outside for sports before 6 or 7 pm (probably 6:30) until the heat lets up. There were announcements in the schools yesterday to that effect.

And he'll make sure transportation won't be a problem, since many try-outs and practice are normally right after school.

The worst of the day's heat hits between 2 and 6pm, when school lets out.

5 people have died from the heat already.

Superintendent Webb wasn't going to wait for any judge to tell him what to do. Good for him - coaches can't get it overturned by a higher official, I hope.

The coaches still piss me off. If their kids can't practice in 105 degree weather (110+ heat index, thanks humidity), they will lose all their games! We can't expect them to wait until it cools down!

Bullshit.

Sorry, I've said that already.

U of M football practice starts at 5:30am, good for them.

Speaking of football practice, there was a bit in the amazing book Tangerine by Edward Bloor. Only it dealt with lightning strikes. One player was killed by lightning, and the parents demanded that practice not be held in the afternoon, when the lightning was at its worst. (This was in Florida, no rain or thunder came with the lightning, it was by itself to my memory.)

They wanted practice before school started. The coach(es? I need to read that book again) said no, after school was best, some boys can't get here early, blah blah. The parents said no, we'll set up a carpool.

Anyways, I'm glad SCS did something before a kid died.

We always joke about a "Shelby County Education" when we say or do something stupid, but right now, I'm proud to be a SCS graduate, to be associated with a leader with the brains to come in from the killer heat.