Education

Chicago Public Schools Canceling or Moving All Outdoor Activities Inside Thursday Amid Dangerous Heat

Chicago Public Schools is canceling all outdoor activities Thursday unless they can be moved inside amid another day of extreme heat across the city.

To ensure the health and safety of students and staff, the district on Thursday announced all outdoor activities — including outdoor recess, physical education, athletics and out-of-school time activities — will be canceled or held inside if possible.

“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,” CPS CEO Macquline King said in a letter to families.

The National Weather Service issued an Extreme Heat Warning for Cook County on Thursday morning, though that was canceled before noon, with dangerous heat and humidity expected. Heat indices were expected to reach up to 105 degrees, the weather service said.

CPS said because of the extreme heat, all outdoor athletics games are postponed, and all practices will either be canceled or moved indoors. Regular programming may resume on Sept. 4, pending any updates.

King said all CPS classrooms are equipped with air conditioning, and the district’s facilities team will be working with schools to fix any air conditioning systems that may encounter issues this week.

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