What should a lightning safety plan include?

The NFHS lightning guidelines (October 2024) say every school should have a current, practiced lightning policy for all outdoor sports and activities and for indoor swimming pools. The plan should:

1. Name a specific staff member to monitor local weather before and during practices and games. That person suspends outdoor activities and decides when to resume.
2. Include an emergency action plan that identifies nearby safer places and how long it takes to get everyone there.
3. Set clear criteria for suspending and resuming play: thunder or lightning, a strike within 10 miles on a detection network, and the 30-minute rule.
4. Be reviewed every year with administrators, coaches and game personnel, and train all personnel on it.
5. Be shared with athletes and their parents at the start of each season.

NFHS says the preferred sources for a facility's lightning policy are your state association and the nearest National Weather Service office. The NFHS guidelines are the default when no such policy exists.