How cold does it have to be for schools to close? What to know

As a cold front passes through the Chicago area, school district administrators across the region are weighing whether or not to close buildings and cancel classes amid the extreme weather.

While most school administrations say they place a strong emphasis on keeping buildings open, the safety and welfare of students and staff can force schools to close during extreme weather.

The threshold for when weather is wintry enough to close schools isn’t decided by a particular degree of temperatures or amount of snowfall, instead, several factors typically go into the decision making process on if a school will close.

The Glenview School District 34, for example, said severity of weather, timing of weather events, ability of buses and cars to travel safely and operable condition of their buildings are all considered when deciding if schools should close.

Their Superintendent of Schools makes the final call, and their decision is made in collaboration with the district administration, other area superintendents, local village departments, bus service provider and the Illinois Department of Transportation, according to the district website.

Glenview School District 31 closes schools if an extreme cold warning is issued, however, they will remain open under a cold weather advisory.

Naperville District 203 considers regular updates from their buildings and grounds team, local municipalities, area school districts, National Weather Service and transportation providers when deciding whether to close schools, according to the district website.

Closures of Chicago Public Schools also follow a collaborative process between the district and the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication, their website stated.

Air temperature and wind chill, amount of snow and ice on the ground, accessibility of buildings and roads, potential issues with heating and cooling systems or power outages, ability to transport students safely on buses and air quality during periods of extreme heat are all factors that CPS said go into the decision-making process.

The CPS maintenance crews regularly test equipment and heating systems to ensure they’re working properly, the district said, and every school has a snow removal plan to keep sidewalks, walkways and parking lots clear for students and staff.

“CPS also closely monitors weather forecasts and makes all decisions related to school closings based on the health and safety of our students,” their website states. “CPS will get the word out quickly if school is canceled due to weather.”

How can you check if your child’s school has decided to close during extreme weather?

Many school districts also post about closings on social media and on their website homepage, and communicate with their school community via phone, email and text message notifications.

The Emergency Closing Center also provides a list of schools and business schedule to close due to the weather.

See the most updated list here (NOTE: If you are accessing this link from our app, please go to your mobile browser).