'Mask Breaks' Now A Thing At LTHS

LA GRANGE, IL — Yes, it's hot. And Lyons Township High School officials know it. So they said they understand students may need to take "mask breaks."

The last few days, higher temperatures and humidity have created difficult learning conditions in many classrooms without air conditioning, Superintendent Brian Waterman said in a public statement Wednesday.

The school is encouraging students to take mask breaks during lunch and take advantage of the opportunity to eat outside. And officials said teachers would understand if students are late to class because they are stepping outside for a mask break or stepping into a cooler space.

The school's two campuses have a limited number of air-conditioned classrooms, and administrators are working to move classes to those places, when possible, Waterman said.

In northern Illinois, air conditioning is often a big topic in school in the first weeks of the year — and usually never again. Waterman said the school will continue to make progress toward increasing the amount of air-conditioned spaces at both campuses.

For instance, he said, a proposed project for summer 2022 includes installing air conditioning for 45 more classrooms in the B Wing at the South Campus.

"The installation of air conditioning in additional spaces will continue to be a priority during future facilities updates," Waterman said in his statement. "While we acknowledge that discussing long-term plans doesn’t solve the problems we are facing this week, we want our community to know we will continue to utilize the facilities we have to the best of our ability to keep students and staff healthy and safe."