School districts monitor air quality as smoke from Rough Fire fills the Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Leaders at the Valley Air District said the smoke coverage from Tuesday is going to last through the week and possibly into next week. They're warning everyone in the area to stay inside.

The sound of the buzzer, means it's time for practice -- and at Hoover High School even the freshman practice hard.

"It's fun to see him practice just to get ready for the games because their games are on Thursday nights," said Hoover High School parent David Nichols.

His son is on the field. The super dad is at every football practice, watching from the sidelines on hot days and smoky days. "The coaches i think they have games pretty quick on Thursdays so I think they are trying to stick it out and see what they can handle," said Nichols.

On Tuesday Fresno Unified Leaders didn't cancel practice. They based their decisions on hourly air quality updates. Clovis Unified did the same but cancelled after school activities for elementary school students. Leaders at the Valley Air District don't agree with those choices.

"It is our belief, our opinion that sports practices and outdoor activities should be cancelled or postponed during this poor air quality episode we are having right now," said Jaime Holt of the Valley Air District.

The view of the Rough Fire from Clovis gives a good perspective of how the smoke lingers on the Valley floor.

In Visalia the haze was even worse than up north. "The freeway was about half a mile. It's sure smoky. It's real bad," said Fred Gill.

Gill's son is fighting the Rough Fire. So no matter where you are in the Central Valley, you can count on dads to push their kids through the haze.

Both school districts say Wednesday they'll be watching air quality monitors every hour. The decisions to cancel outdoor activities and after school practices are based on those readings throughout the day.