There are no emergency school closings today, February 4th, 2012
Inclement Weather and School Closing Information
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| For the latest information on school closings, go to the Emergency Closing Center. District 25 participates in this free service and will make every attempt to post the latest emergency closing information as promptly as possible. |
| Weather Closing and Late Start Information (PDF) |
If schools are closed, have a delayed start time or early dismissal, emergency closing information will be available on our local cable access channels (Comcast Channel 15 and Wide Open West Channel 17) unless there is a power outage in the Central Office. You may also use our voice mail system (847-506-6999; follow the prompts). Local radio and television announcements will also be made on the following stations:
WGN Radio 720 |
WBBM Radio 780 |
CBS Channel 2 |
NBC Channel 5 |
ABC Channel 7 |
WGN Channel 9 |
Fox Channel 32 |
CLTV News |
How the decision to close schools is made:
The decision to open or close schools due to inclement weather presents special challenges for parents and staff. The decision-making process starts about 4:00 a.m. The superintendent receives information on these items: (1) condition of the roads; (2) the weather conditions – both current and predicted; (3) the bus company assessment of whether they can provide safe transport of students to and from school; and (4) contiguous school district decisions as it impacts families with children in both districts. When possible, the decision is made by 5:30 a.m. The reasons for the early decision include:
- notification of staff who live outside the AHSD area
- notification for parents who start their commutes to work at an early hour
- notification for bus drivers – bus route preparation begins at 6:30 a.m.
When it is decided that schools will remain open, parents always have a choice. If you believe it is not safe to send your child to school, you are urged to exercise your best judgment. Your decision will be respected, and your child will be allowed to make up any work missed without penalty.
All working parents are urged to have childcare arrangements in place for emergency school closings. If school is closed in the middle of the day, every attempt will be made to notify you. For this reason, it is important that your child's school has your current home and work phone numbers. If you cannot be reached, we will attempt to contact the people you have listed on the emergency information file for your children. Please discuss this situation with your children so that they are aware of the arrangements in case of an early dismissal situation. Parents are asked to make plans for possible school closings including these options:
- No school
- Delayed school start
- Early dismissal
Every superintendent worries about snow call decisions. There is just no way to make the “right” call for everyone. That is why superintendents try to gather information from many sources. That is also why we invite parents to override our decision – if they view the decision is not safe for their child. Predicting weather and deciding to open or close school is an inexact science, and since we live in the Midwest and can expect bad weather, there will likely be other decisions in the future that you may not agree with. Please know that you are encouraged to use your best judgement about your child's school attendance – and please know that every effort will be made to make the best decision at the time with information available.
On inclement weather days, both parents and the superintendent have decisions to make. See below for the NOAA Web site which may assist you in gathering current information on weather predictions – rated 72% accurate by www.forecastadvisor.com Every effort will be made to keep schools open, to get students to school safely and to provide a safe environment for learning. Parents also decide if the conditions are safe and appropriate for their children to attend and recognize that conditions may change from the time the decision is made until school start time.
Many parents have asked questions about the use of emergency days and student attendance days. The school calendar has 170 student instruction days required by law. Any use of an emergency day requires that students make up the lost instructional time.
NOAA’s National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
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