Western Springs School District 101

Please note that when communicating to parents regarding an emergency or a winter closing, parents will receive information in all of the ways that they put into PowerSchool.

In the event of an emergency the first decision is whether the students may remain at the school. If an evacuation is required, the students will be moved to a pre-determined location based on their home school. Otherwise, students will either be in the classrooms or the gym, depending on the nature of the emergency.

The principal or designee will send a message to all after there has been sufficient time to assess the situation and communicate accurate information.

If the nature of the emergency requires students to be picked up from school or the church, only the child's parent/guardian may do so. Staff members may accept verbal approval over a phone from a parent for their child to be picked up by another parent; please remember that depending on the situation, staff members may need to address other tasks first.

When parents or approved designees arrive to pick up their child, they will be asked to wait until their child is brought to them. This procedure prevents confusion and allows staff members to document that the child was picked up.

In general, during an emergency our priority is to ensure the safety of the students, and then to contact parents in the event that they need to pick up their child. 

Several important factors are taken into consideration when the cancellation of school, or delaying the start of a school day, is in question. The first of these is travel safety due to ice and snow. The factors we consider are: 

• the safety of students who require bus or automobile transportation to/from school

• the safety of teachers and staff who commute via automobile

• the safety of students whose primary transportation mode is to walk to school, and

• the ability of our maintenance/custodial staff to sufficiently clear sidewalks and parking lots

The second major issue we consider during inclement weather is wind chill. For students waiting for a school bus or walking to/from school, wind chill is always a major consideration in the closing/delay of school. District 101 has made it a practice that consideration for closing school is given when sustained wind chill temperatures approach 25 degrees below zero. We will continue to adhere to this practice again this year. 

 During mornings of snow, ice or extreme cold, the Lyons Township superintendents are in touch with each other and our bus companies to determine whether or not Township schools should be closed. It is usually a decision that is made jointly among the superintendents, and these messages are communicated to the public, generally before 6:15 am. As has been District 101’s practice for many years, our strong tendency is to keep school in session unless conditions simply and clearly indicate that an alternative decision is necessary for safety reasons. 

Finally, although a remote learning day is an option in lieu of a traditional “snow day,” we will only utilize this option when certain qualitative conditions lead us to believe that it is the best option. Some of these qualitative considerations may include: advance notice of an incoming “weather event,” the likelihood for the need of multiple days away from traditional in-person school due to blizzard conditions or extreme cold, and/or the negative implications and impact of adding day(s) to the end of the school calendar to make up full snow days.

 Announcements of closings/delays are made to local television and radio stations via our participation in the Emergency Closing Center. Please remember to look for Cook County District 101 (not Batavia District 101 in Kane County) when using these media sources. Also, you can access the information we submit to the Emergency Closing Center online at: www.emergencyclosings.com, or via our District website at d101.org. The District website will usually be the first accessible mode of communication for staff and parents alike. Additionally, we will also utilize our emergency call system again this school year, in which staff and parents will be contacted via email, text, and/or phone messages, based on what information is included for you in PowerSchool.  

Please know that you are the person who ultimately decides whether or not your child should go to school. If you feel that your child’s journey to school is not safe, please feel comfortable in exercising your prerogative as a parent to allow your child to stay home. Absences attributed to inclement weather will be viewed as excused absences.