Glenbrook High School District 225 will close for wind-chill warnings, but stay open during wind-chill advisories, according to clarified winter weather closing guidelines unveiled Oct. 26.
District 225 will close during wind-chill warnings when wind chill temperatures hit -30 degrees Fahrenheit or colder and winds are at least 10 miles per hour, or the actual air temperature is -15 degrees, the guidelines say.
But the district will stay open during wind-chill advisories, when wind chills hit -20 degrees or colder and winds are at least 10 mph, the school district announced.
Moreover, District 225 officials will not make the call to close or stay open until 6 a.m. on a given day, unless weather conditions the night before “are certain and warrant closure,” according to a staff memo given to school board members.
District 225 Superintendent Mike Riggle said that while parents might want to know on the night before about closings, expecting the district to make that call that early is not realistic because weather conditions affecting that decision can and do change overnight.
If the high schools are closing on a given day, parents will get an automated phone call and email, Riggle said, adding “and if they don’t hear from us, we’re going.”
When District 225 cancels school – whether for all facilities or just some – all after-school activities including field trips, student events, athletic events and practices are also canceled unless specific announcements are made by either Glenbrook North’s or South’s principal, officials said.
Alliance for Lifelong Learning classes are also canceled for the days that schools are closed.
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District 225 relies on the National Weather Service’s website, www.weather.gov, for its information because it’s proven to be the most accurate in terms of local weather conditions and temperatures, Riggle said.
“I really like the one source because different weathermen will have their models,” he said. “I’ve watched it enough to know that it’s right on target and very consistent.”
Main factors considered in a decision to close or stay open include students’ and employees’ safety, weather severity and timing, operating conditions of buildings and travel safety, Riggle said.
Riggle said the new policy was created after consulting with elementary school districts 27, 28, 30, 31 and 34. They will adhere to it, too, although they will also make decisions based on their students’ needs, Riggle added.
District 225’s wind-chill and winter-weather closing policy will be posted at its website and will be sent to parents, spokeswoman Melanie Krakauer said.
District 225 closed due to wind chills and winter weather three times during the winter of 2014-15, four times in 2013-14 and once in 2012-13, Krakauer said.
Jenn Nimke, spokeswoman for Glenview Elementary District 34, said officials there consider weather and road conditions, too, in making the call to close schools. That decision is usually made by 5:30 a.m. so the message can be sent to parents by phone, text and email, she added. Closing information will also be posted at the district’s website, www.glenview34.org.
District 34 has also added two “emergency closing” days to its calendar: Jan. 15 and April 4, 2016. If winter weather has closed schools before either date, there will be school; if not, then those will be days off, Nimke said. If weather forces more closings, however, additional school days will be added to the end of the school year, she added.
Jon Davis is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.