Jan. 07--While more than 200 school districts throughout the region closed Wednesday, a few opted for business as usual.
Elementary and high school students in far north suburban Zion have classes Wednesday. All seven schools in Zion Elementary School District 6 are open as is Zion-Benton Township High School District 126, according to their websites.
District leaders posted that they wanted to keep students in school, but asked that parents opting to keep students home for safety reasons call to report their children absent.
"It is our desire to remain open when possible in order to continue educational services and to provide students access to meals and a warm building," District 126 Superintendent Chris Clark wrote on the website.
Clark further advised students to take extreme precautions in getting to school Wednesday morning, including dressing in layers to prevent skin from being exposed to the below-zero wind chills.
"Student drivers should exercise additional caution by maintaining a full tank of gas, warming up their cars frequently, and keeping blankets and/or extra clothing in their cars," Clark wrote.
A cluster of west suburban schools also are open. Lyons Township District 204 and feeder districts including LaGrange District 102, LaGrange Highlands School District 106 and Pleasantdale School District 107 all are open. Riverside Brookfield High School is open as well.
Most school districts in the Chicago region, including Chicago Public Schools, opted to close Wednesday citing the extreme weather conditions. The National Weather Service warned that wind chills could range from 15 to 30 degrees below zero until Thursday morning.
cdrhodes@tribpub.com
Twitter @rhodes_dawn
