District 205 Emergency Closing Information Center

  • Winter in the Chicago area can be very challenging. Snow storms and sub-zero temperatures are a common occurrence. When severe weather occurs, we must make the decision to open or close our schools. Please rest assured that this decision is made cautiously and with much thought. Our ultimate concern is the safety of our students and the best interests of everyone in our school community. This website was created to give parents, staff and community members up-to-date information regarding emergency school closings. Please use the links to the left to navigate to specific information regarding various situations for emergency school closings.

    Thank you parents, students and staff in advance for your understanding the next time the District needs to make a decision to close school. When the snow piles up and/or the temperatures become extreme, we will need to make a decision regarding school closing. Please remember, that whenever possible, our schools will remain open. If you believe that the weather conditions are not appropriate for your children to report to school, please exercise your right to keep them home. At the same time, we ask that everyone respect the rights of parents who choose to send their children to school.
    Winter Weather Closing Information

    Whenever possible, we will make the decision to keep our schools open. When we are able to stay open, we give all parents the option of sending their children to school or keeping them home. When we close the schools, we remove this option. Therefore, when the weather is questionable in your mind, and the decision has been made to keep our schools open, please make the choice that is best for you and your children. You always have the right to keep your children home, and all student absences reported by a parent on such days will be treated as excused. 

    A decision to close our schools for the day will be made either at noon the day before or by 4:45  a.m. on the day of school. If the decision is made after that, we run the risk of missing parents who have left for work, staff who have left for their schools and high school students preparing to leave for school. When making the decision to close or remain open, our main consideration is whether all students and staff can safely make it to school. We base our decision on the following information:
     
    • The bus company believes that they can run all of their bus routes in a timely manner and deliver our students safely to school.
    • The District 205 facilities' department is confident that they can keep our driveways, walkways, doorways and parking lots cleared sufficiently for pedestrians, cars, and emergency vehicles.
    • The municipal street departments servicing District 205 can maintain all of the streets in an acceptable manner.
    • The weather forecast supports our decision.
    • The decisions being made by neighboring school districts.
     
    Once the decision to close school is made each building's principal will record a telephone message to be delivered to the households of all District 205 families and staff announcing the closing. For you to receive this message, your current phone number must be on file with your child's school. Families may also check school and District home page (www.district205.net) for closing information. Local radio and TV stations will also be informed and announcements should be made over the following radio and television stations:
     
     
    Closing information is also available:
    Online: www.EmergencyClosings.com      www.District205.net

    *Note
    If schools are closed due to inclement weather or other reasons all afterschool sports and activities will be cancelled.
    School Closing During the School Day

    On rare occasions it may be necessary to close a school during the day due to loss of power, loss of water, or other emergency situations. If this occurs, procedures are in place to transport students home, if necessary. Parents are reminded to provide the school office with up-to-date emergency telephone numbers. Also, families must have a plan of action in place in the event that students are dismissed early because of an unanticipated emergency.