Too darn hot for classes in District 204

Concerns with extreme heat have led Indian Prairie Unit District 204 officials to cancel classes Friday for the district's 19 elementary schools that do not have air conditioning.

Owen and Peterson elementary schools, the only two with air conditioning, will be open.

Principals from each of the affected schools sent emails to all parents with children attending their schools.

All other district facilities, including middle and high schools, will operate as normal. Officials said Friday will be considered an emergency day and students in the closed schools will not have to make it up.

According to the email sent to parents, district officials have been “continuously monitoring the temperature in the school today and have implemented our procedures for making our students comfortable.”

Those procedures include rotating students through air-conditioned areas, moving all upstairs classes downstairs, taking frequent water breaks, and moving classes outside when appropriate.

“The warm temperatures experienced today, with little relief tonight, will not allow our buildings to sufficiently cool down in time to handle tomorrow's expected high temperatures,” Superintendent Kathryn Birkett said Thursday.

The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures will reach the mid-90s Friday in Naperville.

The YMCA of Metro Chicago is offering a special program to assist parents who might need child care as a result of school being canceled. A supervised child care program for elementary students will be available for $39 from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Y Sports Complex, 31W290 Schoger Road, Naperville. Parents can register their children for the day as early as 6 a.m. at the complex. For more information, contact the YMCA at (630) 585-2207.

Indian Prairie serves portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield.