TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District is proud to announce it has been awarded the prestigious National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Safe Sports School Award. This award recognizes secondary schools that take exemplary action to protect student-athletes and demonstrate a commitment to providing a safe athletic environment. Temple ISD was awarded First Team recognition, the highest level of achievement established by the NATA.
“This honor is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team – from our athletic trainers and coaches to our school administrators and community partners,” said Dr. Bobby Ott, Superintendent of Schools for Temple ISD. “The safety and well-being of our student-athletes is our top priority, and this award validates our efforts to ensure they can participate in sports in the safest possible environment.”
The NATA Safe Sports School Award recognizes schools that have met specific criteria, including:
- Creating a positive athletic health care administrative team
- Providing or coordinating pre-participation physical examinations
- Promoting safe practice and competition facilities
- Properly selecting, fitting, and maintaining athletic equipment
- Providing a permanent, equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
- Developing injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions
- Providing or facilitating injury intervention
- Creating and rehearsing venue-specific emergency action plans
- Providing or facilitating psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education
- Educating athletes and parents about the potential benefits and risks of sports
“Receiving this award is not just an honor, but also a responsibility,” added Steven Prentiss, Director of Athletics for Temple ISD. “We will continue to uphold these high standards and look for ways to further enhance the safety of our athletic programs. We want every student-athlete to have a positive and safe experience.”
Temple ISD athletic trainers are responsible for caring for more than 1,500 student-athletes on the high school and middle school level. TISD athletic trainers oversee daily care and injury prevention for student-athletes participating in 33 total sports on 96 total teams. The district employees three full-time high school trainers, a full-time middle school trainer, and utilizes a team of 26 athletic training students (ATS).
“This award reflects the hard work of our Temple ISD athletic training staff, coaches, and administration,” said Windee Skrabanek, Head Athletic Trainer for Temple ISD. “It recognizes our commitment to keeping student-athletes safe through injury prevention, emergency preparedness, proper medical care, and safe athletic environments. Our athletic trainers work year-round to ensure medical documents are updated, emergency action plans are current, and all safety protocols are followed across our athletic programs. We are proud of this accomplishment and remain committed to putting the health and safety of our student-athletes first!”
The Safe Sports School Award recognition is good for 2026-2029. The district will receive a banner from NATA to display at Temple High School, signifying the district’s achievement and commitment to athlete safety.