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More than 300,000 students will head back to classrooms Monday in sweltering heat as the first day of Chicago Public Schools begins.
The first day of the 2024-25 school year was shifted to start a week later than usual due to the Democratic National Convention, which took place in Chicago at the United Center and McCormick Place Aug. 19-22.
According to the National Weather Service, at 12 p.m. Monday, an excessive heat warning will go into effect for Cook County, with "dangerously hot conditions." According to the NWS, heat index values of between 103 and 107 degrees were expected Monday, with even hotter values Tuesday.
While all CPS classrooms have air condition units, many buildings do not have central air, which means hallways and gymnasiums may be hot. Slides, swings and other playground equipment can also be dangerously hot to the touch, experts warned.
“Hydration, hydration, hydration. Make sure your kids are carrying a water bottle with them and they take sips throughout the day," said Dr. Juanita Mora, national medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association said. "Snacks are good and hydrating, send them with a little pack of grapes or oranges cut up as well... Avoid sending sugary drinks like Gatorade, Kool Aid or Capri Suns. They’re full of sugar, and they’re not all that hydrating."
MORE: 4 easy and fast ways to cool your body down in extreme heat
Over the weekend, CPS families were sent a letter this weekend detailing the district’s efforts to keeps students and faculty cool and safe with an excessive heat warning in place.
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According to CPS, all outdoor athletic games and matches will be canceled on both Monday and Tuesday due to the heat. All outdoor practices will also be moved indoors or canceled, officials said.
For instruction, all classrooms are equipped with air conditioning units, and facilities teams will work to ensure that any AC units that experience problems are repaired quickly, according to the letter.
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Teachers may be asked to draw shades to keep sunlight out, and to keep doors closed in rooms where window air conditioning units are being used.
Finally, all nonessential lights, computers and appliances will be turned off when not required for instruction.
CPS also sent communications to families about busing, as the district remains in negotiations with unions that represent school bus drivers.
“Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of many school districts around the country that in recent years has experienced a shortage of individuals interested in becoming school bus drivers," the statement read in part. "This national shortage has forced CPS to prioritize yellow bus transportation for our most vulnerable students - our qualifying students with disabilities and Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS), two demographic groups that are also both growing in size."
"As a District, we remain determined to resolve the impact of this bus driver shortage and have employed many strategies to address it, from increased driver wages to ongoing advocacy for reasonable state testing and certification requirements," the letter went on to say.
Heat warnings, advisories, watches Monday and Tuesday for Chicago area
Monday was expected to hit a high of 96-degrees, with "feels-like' temperatures closer to 100-105 degrees, NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said. Tuesday would be even hotter, with a 98-degree high and heat indices up to 110-degrees.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, the record high for Monday and Tuesday was 97 degrees, set in 1973.
"Be prepared to drink lots of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors," the NWS warned. "Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. This is especially true during warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes."
"This is the hottest air that we've experienced so far this summer," the NWS said in a message posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Monday's weather also comes with an air quality alert for all of Northeastern Illinois, the NWS said, with air quality expected to be at "unhealthy levels for sensitive groups," which ranks as level two of five.
The alert was expected to last "through at least Monday," the NWS said.
Tuesday's forecast comes with a chance for early morning and evening thunderstorms, Jeanes said, with northern Illinois at a "marginal" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level one of five on the storm prediction center's scale. Any scattered storms that do develop could contain lightning strikes, heavy downpours and gusty, damaging winds, the NWS said.
250 Cooling centers across the city of Chicago were expected to be activated Monday and Tuesday, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Temperatures Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be in the upper 80s, though high humidity and chances for storms will remain, Jeanes said. Going into Labor Day weekend, temperatures will dip back down into the low 80s and mid 70s, Jeanes added.
