District 204 schools stayed open today despite the severe weather. With the snowstorm continuing, all after school sports and clubs are canceled. It was announced that the eighth grade open house has been canceled and rescheduled to Feb. 10. 

According to Principal Darell Echols, 914 students were absent today which is more than triple the normal numbers. Over 20 staff members were absent as well. Late buses, students, and staff were entering the school between 7:26 a.m. to 7:50 a.m. due to the traffic from the snow. Neighboring District 203 and Wheaton schools were also open, while schools out in Plainfield and Oswego closed down due to the weather. 

“I had my AP Psychology test moved to tomorrow because a lot of people were absent today,” junior Pranthi Sagi said. 

In an email to the community, District 204 superintendent Adrian Talley said that there were several factors involved in making the decision to have school in-person.

“I also have conversations with numerous individuals including our transportation provider, custodial staff and other district superintendents to determine the feasibility of having our students in person learning,” Talley said.

With the high number of students and staff absent due to the weather class plans got moved or adjusted. Many Teachers rescheduled tests, or gave students a pause day to catch up on work. 

According to the Weather Channel, the storm will continue until 6:00 p.m. with conditions remaining unsafe for travel.  

If school had been canceled, E-learning would take effect with assignments posted on Google Classroom. If severe weather causes multiple days of school to be canceled, zoom would be an option for those specific days. 

“E-learning is when content is placed in Google Classroom for students and if it is going to be two to three days then we will probably have the Zoom option,” Principal Darrel Echols said. 

For the future in case of severe weather parents have the decision to allow their children to stay home and will count as an excused absence. Staff does encourage students to attend school if the school remains open during severe weather. 

“I want everyone to have a safe trip home, and hopefully the roads will be better by tomorrow,” Echols said.