No school in Chicago because.......it's cold? (Oak Park: 2013, school closings)

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

I left Chicago for a few years and attended high school in Minnesota in the 1920s. Not only was school never cancelled for any reason ever, when it was -60F our physical education class would do the "polar plunge" in Lake Minnetonka to keep our constitutions vigorous. While doing so, even the men wore old timey Taylor Swift bathing suits, and never once complained about shrinkage. I have to say I am aghast at our current generation of weaklings, with their game boys, texting, and multiple snow days.

Are you really over 100 years old?

[Drover]

Get used to it.

Cold closings a "new normal": CPS, others to stay shut Thursday - Chicago Tribune

[Wendy013]

I grew up in Hoffman Estates in the '70s and '80s. We always had "snow days" budgeted in the school year that would be taken off at the end of the year if not used. I don't think we ever used them for actual snow, but we did take a few days off for cold.

[chiMT]

A lot of CPS students get to school by walking and/or waiting at bus stops. Someone mentioned the building issues, this is also true. As is the issue of unprepared parents and lack of proper clothing.

Those of you comparing this to "the good ol' days," or some school district in middle suburban america... please get a clue.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

It's supposed to be -40F windchill. Even in Minnesota they shut down when the windchill is that cold.

When I grew up in Minnesota, they wouldn't call school off unless the wind chill was below about -50F. I remember having the governor calling school off for the entire state because most of the state had -70 or worse wind chills. Now I see they lowered it to around -30 when calling school off.

[Bellamouse]

Originally Posted by chiMT

A lot of CPS students get to school by walking and/or waiting at bus stops. Someone mentioned the building issues, this is also true. As is the issue of unprepared parents and lack of proper clothing.

Those of you comparing this to "the good ol' days," or some school district in middle suburban america... please get a clue.

I grew up in Oak Park. Graduated high school in 1981. Had drivers ed during the big snowstorm of '79. School was never canceled. Not even for that big snow. And the high school had 4000 students at that time, so it wasn't some rinky dink school. Oh, and I walked to school every.single.day. I never rode a school bus once in my life. In grammer school we still went home for lunch. I was a latch key kid and had to get myself home and back at lunchtime. We lived about 6 blocks from school.

[rzzzz]

Originally Posted by marothisu

When I grew up in Minnesota, they wouldn't call school off unless the wind chill was below about -50F. I remember having the governor calling school off for the entire state because most of the state had -70 or worse wind chills. Now I see they lowered it to around -30 when calling school off.

Srsly when I went to school there we got mad school days off in Minnesota. Sometimes so many we had to make up school in the summer. This was up north though and I think a lot of it was simply due to visibility on the road. There was a big gate on the highway and if it was snowy and windy the highway patrol would just shut it down.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

Srsly when I went to school there we got mad school days off in Minnesota. Sometimes so many we had to make up school in the summer. This was up north though.

Yeah I can see that - usually when we got school off, it was almost always only because of snow or ice. The smaller cities/towns around us would get school off because they didn't have the plows available to clear off roads well enough. We did though, so the most we'd get is 2 hour late starts sometimes - maybe 5-7 times per school year we'd get school off but it was usually because of snow or ice, not cold.

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

I left Chicago for a few years and attended high school in Minnesota in the 1920s. Not only was school never cancelled for any reason ever, when it was -60F our physical education class would do the "polar plunge" in Lake Minnetonka to keep our constitutions vigorous. While doing so, even the men wore old timey Taylor Swift bathing suits, and never once complained about shrinkage. I have to say I am aghast at our current generation of weaklings, with their game boys, texting, and multiple snow days.

You were in High School in the 1920's!

[glass_of_merlot]

When I grew up in Sweden they never closed schools that I can remember.