Photo of Dr. Russell on blue background
Dear District 58 Families and Staff,
I hope that everyone is enjoying the final days of summer! District 58 is busy preparing for the return of our students and the start of another school year. We are very excited to kick off the school year and can’t wait to see the students.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the first two days of school is concerning. The National Weather Service has informed school districts of the following:
Dangerous and oppressive heat will arrive on Sunday. A brief reprieve is expected Monday behind a cold front, before the heat returns Tuesday through Thursday. At this point, Wednesday and Thursday look the most concerning with extreme and life-threatening heat possible.
Since the overwhelming majority of our schools and instructional spaces lack air conditioning and modern HVAC systems to circulate air, there is a possibility that we may need to postpone the start of the year by two days until Friday. If this is the case, we will add two days to the end of the school year (the year would conclude for students on Wednesday, May 29). Please note that all schools must remain on the same calendar so school would be canceled for the entire District even if a school or classroom has access to air conditioning.
While the District does have the ability to use remote learning days, we will not do this for the first two days of school for several reasons. Remote learning requires a great deal of planning with students in person. We have not had the opportunity to work with our students on remote learning due to summer vacation. Next, elementary students do not have their devices and won’t receive them until they return to school. Further, the first days of school should be in person so students and teachers can meet one another, begin to develop relationships and organize materials. If and when the District utilizes remote learning it must be meaningful and purposeful.
A final decision on whether to delay the start of the school year by two days will be made tomorrow or Tuesday (we need to ensure that the forecast comes to fruition). The purpose of this email is to inform families and staff that we are monitoring the weather and so that you can start contingency planning.
As always, I truly appreciate your partnership and flexibility. There is nothing more important than the safety of our students and staff. The District is grateful to the community for supporting the referendum. In a few short years dealing with the heat will no longer be an issue for District 58 as all schools will have air conditioning and modern HVAC systems (BA and ES already have it). I sincerely hope that we won’t have to delay the start of the year. However, there is a strong likelihood that this may take place. I will update the community with the final decision by Tuesday morning at the latest. At that time, you will receive an email, we will post the notice on our website and on social media (if the start of the year is postponed).
Sincerely,
Dr. Kevin Russell
Superintendent of Schools