Dear CPS Families,
This morning, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Chicago today. As a result, CPS policy on extreme heat will be implemented for Thursday, September 3 to ensure students and staff are healthy, safe, and comfortable. All outdoor activities will be canceled or held inside if possible. This includes outdoor recess, Physical Education, athletics, and Out-of-School Time activities.
CPS Procedures and Guidance for Extreme Heat
As a reminder, all CPS classrooms are equipped with air conditioning, and the CPS facilities team will be working with schools to fix any air conditioning systems that may encounter issues this week.
We recommend students stay hydrated and bring full water bottles to school. Opportunities to refill water will be provided throughout the day.
We also want to let you know that CPS has a heat action plan for situations like this, and school leaders will take measures to ensure students are healthy, safe and comfortable this week. Our plan includes the following steps:
-
Ensure that staff and students remain sufficiently hydrated
-
Ensure that all water fountains are in working order.
-
Encourage and allow students to bring full water bottles to school and provide them with opportunities to refill them.
-
Monitor students taking particular medications to ensure proper hydration.
-
Keep rooms cool
-
Draw shades in rooms to keep sunlight out.
-
Keep air circulating by opening windows and doors and by using fans.
-
Turn off overhead lights, computers and appliances when not required for instruction.
-
Move classes from rooms exposed to sunlight to auditoriums, interior or lower-level rooms.
Guidance for Athletics
Due to the forecasted extreme heat for September 3, all outdoor athletics games are postponed and all practices will either be canceled or moved indoors. Regular programming may resume on September 4, pending any updates.
Should any tickets have been purchased via HomeTown ticketing to any events on September 3, per CPS Policy there is no refund, however that ticket can be used for whenever the game / event is rescheduled.
Health and Safety Information
We also want to provide you with this information from the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications in the event of extreme heat:
-
Drink plenty of water
-
Limit time spent outdoors
-
Keep electric lights off or turned down
-
Minimize use of your oven and stove
-
Wear loose, light, cotton clothing
-
Don’t leave people or pets in a closed car, even for a few minutes
-
Check on family, friends, and neighbors
Additional guidelines for older adults (65+), infants and children, those with chronic conditions, those who are pregnant, and others can be found on the CDC website here.
For a map of cooling centers across the city, please click here.
For a printable list of cooling centers by neighborhood, please click here.
For more information and resources from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), please click here.
Be on the lookout for symptoms of heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke:
Heat Exhaustion Symptoms:
-
Heavy sweating
-
Cold, pale, and clammy skin
-
Fast, weak pulse
-
Nausea or vomiting
-
Muscle cramps
-
Tiredness or weakness
-
Dizziness
-
Headache
-
Fainting (passing out)
What to do:
-
Move to a cool place
-
Loosen your clothes
-
Put cool, wet cloths on your body
-
Sip water
Get medical help right away if:
-
You are throwing up
-
Your symptoms get worse
-
Your symptoms last longer than 1 hour
Heat Stroke Symptoms:
-
High body temperature (103°F or higher)
-
Hot, red, dry, or damp skin
-
Fast, strong pulse
-
Headache
-
Dizziness
-
Nausea
-
Confusion
-
Losing consciousness (passing out)
What to do:
-
Call 911 right away—heat stroke is a medical emergency
-
Move the person to a cooler place
-
Help lower the person’s temperature with cool cloths or a cool bath
-
Do not give the person anything to drink
Thank you for your attention to this important message. Please take precautions to keep yourselves and your families safe and healthy this week.
Sincerely,
Dr. Macquline King
Superintendent / Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools