Minot Public Schools monitoring air quality with outdoor sports

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – Air quality for the past couple of weeks in the state has been moderate to unhealthy.

For student athletes, this prompted school districts to cancel practices and games or move outdoor sports inside.

Minot Public School Athletic Director Mitch Lunde said they try to keep practice at a minimum when smoky conditions start to come up.

He adds that canceling games or practices is a tough call to make, especially when air quality changes from a span of minutes to days.

They use online platforms like AccuWeather and IQAir to get the latest updates.

“Policy basically is 160 we start to monitor it. We’re always monitoring it, but 180 we’re probably not going to be participating outside. For sure 200, there’s nothing that’s going to happen outside,” said Lunde.

Lunde said the closest government sensor is in Ryder, which is about 40 miles away from Minot.

He encourages students and parents to have open communication with their coaches if they do not feel comfortable playing during smoky conditions.

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