District 214 stays open in cold, angers parents and students

While extreme temperatures and subzero wind chills closed most suburban schools for the second day in a row, students at Northwest Suburban High School District 214 bundled up and headed to class Thursday - and they weren't happy about it.

District 214 officials fielded complaints from parents and students all day about the decision not to close school. Superintendent David Schuler even posted a letter addressing the issue on the district's website in the afternoon.

"We start checking the forecast around noon the day before and take into consideration a variety of factors including wind chill, air temperature, ice, snow, sunrise time and more," wrote Schuler, who makes the final call on closing.

"We are always in constant conversations with surrounding elementary districts and high school districts, but each individual superintendent has to make the decision they feel more comfortable with."

District 214 kept its six high schools and three alternative schools open on Thursday, although all of its feeder elementary districts and other high school districts in Cook County closed for the day.

Schuler said he received input over the phone and via email from parents. Facebook postings notifying parents and students that school would remain open had received more than 200 - mostly angry - responses by Thursday afternoon.

Those complaints were exacerbated by an outage that knocked out power to Elk Grove High School for about a half-hour Thursday morning and a fire alarm at Rolling Meadows High School that sent students out in the cold around lunchtime. The students were outside, some in just gym clothes, for about three minutes, officials said.

"I didn't go to school today. My dad didn't want me going outside because it was too cold," said Andrew Jensen, a senior at Rolling Meadows. "I was on Twitter all day; people were saying the next time it gets this cold the superintendent ought to greet us at the front door outside."

Parents were upset because the district closed on Wednesday but not Thursday, although the weather was cold both days.

"The problem I have with the decision to remain open today is the inconsistency in the policy. We were closed yesterday but open today but the feeder schools are all closed again today. It creates anxiety and confusion for my daughter," said Rolling Meadows parent Jen Hintz.

Schuler said Thursday's weather was expected to be warmer than Wednesday's, and since most of District 214 operates on a late-start schedule on Thursday, students would not be outside at the coldest time.

Stevenson, Niles, New Trier and Evanston school districts also were open Thursday.

"I know that when the weather gets cold there is much concern for students. We share that concern," Schuler said in his letter posted online. "We work to balance priorities of safety and education, and we don't take decisions like this lightly or make them hastily or in isolation."

Schuler said he stands by his decision to keep the schools open.

"We always appreciate parent input," he said. "We take all of it and review it."