All 203 schools are closed tomorrow, Jan. 6
By News Editor Emma Stancey
This afternoon, Sun. Jan 5, administration announced the cancellation of all classes and extracurricular activities for tomorrow due to anticipated extreme weather conditions.
According to District 203 superintendent Dan Bridges, the decision to cancel school is determined by whether conditions allow safe and timely transportation of cars, buses, and pedestrians.
“Our number one priority is the safety and welfare of our students and our staff,” said Bridges in an email to The North Star.
According to Bridges, both the amount of snow and the timing of the snowfall are factors the district considers when making the decision to cancel school, but dangerously low temperatures demand different standards.
“As for cold weather, factors considered include temperature, wind speed, feels like temperature, and the amount of time it might take for exposed skin to become frostbite,” said Bridges. “When that time is shorter than it might be expected for a student to walk to school or wait at a bus stop, that influences the decision.”
In most cases, the cancellation of school is announced to district families early the morning of a cancellation; however, in this situation the cancellation was announced the day prior.
According to Bridges, unpredictable weather conditions mean the district prefers to wait to announce a decision unless they are confident they have sufficient information to make an earlier call.
In this situation, administration felt the forecasts remained consistent and even became more extreme.
This day-prior cancellation is also more convenient for District 203 families.
“We make the decision when we are confident we have enough information to make the right call,” said Bridges. “I believe we had that information this afternoon and announcing today would give families sufficient time to prepare.”
According to a post on the district website, information on school closings for Tues. Jan 7, will be announced no later than 2:00 P.M. tomorrow.
