East Central Illinois schools announce changes because of the Arctic winter blast hitting the region
Many Champaign-Urbana area schoolchildren and staff will be home for an extra day following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, due to a wicked cold snap with bitter cold temperatures and insufferable windchills. (Follow along with Chambana Weather here.)
The Arctic winter air impacting the entire Champaign-Urbana region and surrounding counties will result in many local schools changing up their schedules and adapting instruction. Most will not be “closed” although students will not be in-person. Since the pandemic, many schools have adopted remote learning or “e-learning” as a way to keep staff and students engaged in the event of weather-related building closures.
This weather event was well anticipated. On Friday, many schools/teachers/administrators advised students to bring home laptops and other school supplies in the event that remote learning should happen on Tuesday.
We do our best to list schedule changes/closings below that will impact Chambanamoms.com readers. Note this is not a comprehensive list; when in doubt, call ahead. If you want us to add a closing, please email it to editor@chambanamoms.com. (Post last updated 9:28 p.m., Jan. 15)
Remote learning days for Jan. 16, 2024
Champaign Unit 4 Schools:
Due to the inclement weather, Champaign Unit 4 Schools will have a full remote instructional day on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. All students and staff PreK-12 should follow the E-Learning Day instructional schedule, which can be found on our website. Online learning links will be shared with students via Google Classroom. Essential (Group A) O&M and Custodial staff should report. All other staff should work remotely. Athletic updates will be provided by the coaching staff as appropriate.
Urbana School District #116:
Due to the cold temperatures and continued projected forecast for negative wind chills, Tuesday, January 16, will be an E-Learning Day (virtual) for students. There will be no in-person instruction or after-school activities at the school buildings on Tuesday. UMS and UHS extracurricular events will be determined later. Coaches will contact their student-athletes regarding the status of any scheduled events or practices.
Rantoul City Schools
Tuesday, January 16 will be a remote learning / e-learning day for RCS students. There will be no in-person student attendance.
El martes 16 de enero será un día de aprendizaje remoto / e-learning para los estudiantes de RCS. No habrá asistencia presencial de los estudiantes.
University Laboratory High School
Due to continued extreme winter temperatures and a forecast for double-digit negative wind chills throughout the day tomorrow, Uni High will have school remotely on Tuesday, January 16. Tuesday will be an E-Learning Day. Students should keep an eye out for instructions via email and/or Canvas from their teacher for synchronous (Zoom) and/or asynchronous class work. There will be no in-person instruction or club activities on Uni High’s campus on Tuesday. Coaches and sponsors of other extracurriculars will contact involved students regarding the status of sporting events or practices scheduled for after school on Tuesday, January 16.
Heritage Community Unit School District #8
Heritage Schools will be closed for Tuesday January 16 and Heritage will have it’s first E-learning Day. Night activities including Heritage JH Volleyball, JH Boys Basketball, and HS Boys Basketball will be determined after consulting with the opposing teams. The Heritage School Board meeting will go as scheduled at Homer. Once again, Heritage Schools will closed tomorrow and Heritage will have an E-learning Day. Night activities are to be determined, thank you.
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Schools
GCMS will NOT be in session for Tuesday, January 16th due to the dangerous temperatures during the morning hours. We will engage in an E-Learning day and we ask that students engage to the best of their abilities in that process. The wind chill warnings will be lifted midday tomorrow and we hope to allow for evening events if safe to do so. Determination on evening practices and contests will be determined by 12:00 (Tuesday). Activities slated for the remainder of today will proceed.
Monticello Schools:
E-learning Day on Tuesday, January 16, 2024
NO SCHOOL/NO E-LEARNING
Tuscola CUSD 301:
Tuscola CUSD 301 will cancel school on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. Extracurricular activities will be decided by noon (Tuesday).
Academy High will be closed Tuesday, January 16th, due to extreme low temperatures and negative double-digit wind chills throughout the day tomorrow. All regularly scheduled classes, clubs, and activities held at Academy High are canceled. As a reminder, there are no remote classes on the first day of a weather-related closure. Students should ensure they are caught up on their schoolwork so they are ready to engage in each of their classes to the fullest extent when they return to campus on Wednesday.
Other news
The University of Illinois plans for normal academic operations.